“I am a terrible person, who has betrayed the memory of my first born”
Two years ago the idea of forgetting the date would have been inconceivable. It was one of the biggest days of my life, something I would celebrate forever…
But today I realised it had completely passed me by. I am a terrible person, who has betrayed the memory of my first born.
Not literally my first born. Perhaps I’m being a tad melodramatic. But the fact is, I totally forgot that on 31st March 2014 I published my first book, Invisible. I was so very nervous. And even though the anniversary passed by unnoticed until today, when Facebook reminded me in one of those ‘memory’ posts, I will never forget the excitement of finally being a published author.
It was a few months later that Invisible came out in paperback, and putting MY book on MY bookshelf, nestled among my writing heroes was an incredibly emotional moment.
Since then Invisible has been a Top Six bestseller in its genre (murder) on Kindle. It’s had some great reviews. It’s also been eclipsed by its younger and more successful sibling, Flowers For The Dead. Is that why I forgot about it? In part, yes. Although the day that Invisible was published was an incredible moment, it was only one step in what had already been a long journey towards becoming an author – a journey that continues today. From the first time I sat down and wrote something that might just become a novel (but was then abandoned) to the moment that I typed ‘The End’, from seeing the first sale of my first book (to my mum, of course) to entering the Amazon Top 100 for the first time, each step is exciting and new, and hopefully taking me on to new highs.
So, as much as the past is to be celebrated, I’m busy making sure my future is just as exciting. What was I doing this year on 31st March? I was hunched over my laptop, tearing my hair out, working on book three. That’s another step in the journey of being an author – but it all starts with that first step.
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