I had a really nice email from someone today, who’s been reading my book to their mum, a lady who suffers with dementia. She really appreciates the way the book is written, and how the simplicity of it isn’t patronising, but actually really clear, and how grateful she is for it.
I know what you’re supposed to do when this lovely kind of thing happens. You’re supposed to get straight onto your social media and leverage it as another reason why someone else needs your product.
Is it weird that I don’t want to do that? I mean I’ll do something, but I don’t think I can crow about it. Naturally, I was blown away by the email. It made my day, my week, perhaps even my year. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that a bookshop owner was telling me the book was confusing for kids and that hey, nobody knows what ‘fetters’ are any more anyway. This was not that. This is a marketing person’s gold - the personal review with a glowing recommendation for a demographic I had never planned on reaching. It’s kind of awesome really.
I’ve never been much good at selling my self. I’m better at it than I used to be, and I can use words (I say this is my superpower) to bluff my way through it, but I’m still not very comfortable.
But here, this is a lady with such a terrible thing going on in her life! Perhaps fear and anger swirl around her all the time, and this colourful little book is something that somehow pierces all that. And I did that. I helped make that tiny moment of sunshine - it feels almost holy and precious, and I worry about spoiling it by bragging about it all over the place just so I can sell a few more books.
I’ll find some good way of saying all that of course, provided she gives me permission. But honestly, I’d love for the spotlight not to be on me, what I wrote, or the book I sent, but rather on the inspiration and healing that flows from God’s heart to that poor lady. I have a feeling that’s heaven’s way - where all we are is signposts to somewhere glorious.
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