This Just Blows My Mind

So, D'Ann mentioned yesterday that this was a pretty big week. Well, it's big for both of us (are you tired of hearing that yet?) - we're both debuting this week with CrimsonRomance.com. D'Ann's book is a romantic suspense, mine is a contemporary...but waiting in my inbox this morning was something that just blew my mind.

That is *my* book on a reader's e-reader. I'm having a contest to help me launch the book ~ so readers and tweet or facebook about the book and get a chance to win the prize pack or they can review or send me pictures...the list goes on. But this is the first picture of my book, being read by someone outside my family. And it kind of blows my mind. In a good way. If you want to get in on the contest, just head over to my personal blog for the details.

Courtesy ecrater.com

A person - I won't call him/her a friend because friends don't act this way - but a person once told me writing books, romances specifically, was a silly choice because 'you could do so much more'. This person went on to talk about the irrationality of romances, the delusion of love and the general cantankerousness of emotion in general. No, this person isn't an analytic scientist and no hadn't been through a recent break-up. Just a general downer-pants. The words were a slam against the romance genre in general, but I took it personally as you do back-handed compliments. Because romance is it for me. I love writing and reading romance novels. I like the emotional depth and exploration. I like the larger-than-life situations. I like that for a moment the characters falling in love remind of falling for my personal hero. I like the message - that love can be true, that men can be honorable and that women can be anything they damn well want to be.

I'm thrilled and a little freaked out to see my book on that e-reader - I knew this would happen but...but...but that's my book. And that's not my e-reader. Or table. Or case. But that's my book. And I hope she likes it (that isn't a hint for high-fives or I-love-its, by the way). I hope she laughs, I hope she gets a little teary. I hope for a moment it transports her, because isn't that what we all want? For the books we read to give us more than simple words on the page?

So, this week I'm working on the next book and I'm promoting my first book and I'm happy and nervous, but mostly I'm hopeful. Hopeful that this is the beginning of a long career. And I'm riding my delusional unicorn because that's just how I roll...