What Happened When I Took My Indie Witch Novel to the American Library Association
When To Rescue a Witch became a finalist in the Next Generation Indie Book Awards, I received an invitation to attend the American Library Association conference in San Diego for an author signing. As an indie author writing dark historical fiction about witches, Scotland, and survival in the 18th century, I walked into one of the biggest literary conferences in the country with a giddy grin and thought, “These are my people.”
I know. I’m a geek girl. And it was AWESOME to be surrounded by so many people who also love reading (and writing) books. It was a team effort (my family) to try to get my little book in front of the larger world.
Excitement of Being an Indie Book Award Finalist
Like many writers (and, let’s face it, like many people) I tend to be a little neurotic. Did you…like my writing? (Gulp, hold breath, say a silent prayer in the silence before you answer.) For this reason, it gave me validation that someone other than my best friend liked the book. Now when people ask me about my book, I can hide behind the shiny gold star on my book cover and say, “They liked it, too!”
Back in January, I applied and crossed my fingers. Once I was notified in May (on my daughter’s graduation day) it really helped me feel like I was on the correct path to follow my creative passions and go for it. There aren’t too many awards open to indie authors, so it helps establish to readers that the story is worth reading. It also helps professionally because it demonstrates to book stores, libraries, and book clubs that I take the craft seriously.
Preparing for the ALA Conference
