April 8, 2020-Happy Wednesday, everyone! I hope that you’re having a great week so far. As I sit in my home office during self-isolation, I can’t help but be very grateful to be in the line of work that I’m in. Of course, I miss the public events, book signings, and opportunities to meet my readers face to face, but I know that sometime soon, I’ll be able to do that. Have you ever wondered what the perks are to being an author? Here are some of my favourite things that writing has done for me:
1. Friendship– I have met so many delightful people over the years through conferences, social media, and events. Some of us have stayed in touch and connect frequently through social media. It’s always fun to meet an old group of friends at writing conferences and to make new ones! I’m so grateful for each friendship that’s been cultivated through writing.
2. World Travel-New York, Boston, Pittsburgh, and London are a few of the cities that I’ve been to because of my career as an author. I love travelling so much, especially when it’s for continuing education to improve my writing skills. Learning new ideas and ways of conveying those thoughts are what keep my mind sharp and my storylines interesting. Next on the list are Paris, Moscow, and Milan once things settle down!
3. Seeing your book on the shelf or in a major publication-This is a pretty cool feeling; walking into a book store and seeing your book on the shelf or reading an article that you wrote with your name on it in a major magazine is kind of surreal and it never gets old. A lot of other fun things happen with this as well, such as being chosen as a featured author at Indigo or Barnes and Noble and being interviewed for different media outlets to talk about your books. I’ve been fortunate enough to have my work in Women’s World Magazine, Chicken Soup for the Soul, Best Health Magazine, Angie’s Diary, and newspapers.
4. Additional opportunities-There are things that never occurred to me when I first became an author, such as the fantastic opportunities that I would have in different fields. In the past I’ve been a speaker at The Ontario Library Super Conference, I’ve been the guest presenter to students in almost 100 classrooms, I’ve given talks and taught classes on writing at various campuses, and I was nominated for Best Local Author in 2019 for my city. I’m so grateful for each opportunity that comes my way, and there are so many things that are available to authors to help them connect in their communities.
5. Open closed doors-Hundreds, sometimes thousands of hours of research go into writing a book. As authors, we’re fortunate to be able to access things that are not necessarily available to everyone; when writing my novel, Obsessed with Her, I got advice and guidance from the head of Toronto Police, Homicide Division. I was able to ask them questions about specific scenarios to make my work more credible. I’ve stayed at some of the best hotels and have had some of the most amazing experiences in the name of research for a book, and people have been more than accomodating and so wonderful in helping me get things right for my novels.
6. Creating something that outlives you– As an author in Canada, we have to register our books with the Library and Archives of Canada. That in itself is a pretty special honour, we have effectively created something that will outlive us. Long after we’re dead and gone, our work will be available for generations to come.
Again, I’m so grateful that I get to do what I do; I’m thankful for so many people, and I’m forever appreciative of being able to tell stories and create art. Thank you. X LLB
