Good news!

To know oneself, one should assert oneself.
--Albert Camus

I awoke this morning to two blessings. The first is:
' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ''' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' ' '''' ' '''' ' ''  '''''  '' ' ' '' ' '' ' ' ' ''' ' ' ' '' ' ' '' ' '' '' '''' ' ' ' ''''' ' ' ' ' ' ''' '' ' ' ' ''' '''''' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''' ''' ''' ''' '''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''''!
Rain!
After 37 days without a drop from the skies, we had a deluge in the night. One of the sweetest sounds on earth is rain falling on the corrugated metal roof. All the trees are dancing with delight, this morning!

The second blessing is this message that I received from my publisher, Lou Aronica of Fiction Studio Books, right at the top of my morning emails:

Congratulations. You've been in the top 100 of the two biggest accounts.

I have to tell you, it's kind of an eerie thing to publish a book and to know that thousands of people whom you will never know are reading your deepest thoughts and feelings. I sometimes liken this to having a beloved child go off to college. You no longer have control over his or her welfare. You don't know where s/he is, with what people, in which circumstances. You have to trust that what you've inculcated from the very beginning will serve as a structure to sustain that child from harm and also lead him or her on to a successful life. It's that way with a book, too, only moreso, because it can't write home to tell you when it's in trouble or to ask advice or to tell you that its doing fine, is happy and eagerly making its way in the world.

By asserting myself in the literary world, I've certainly come to know myself better, just as Camus predicted. Not all of what I've learned is good: I'm more prone to nervousness than I realized; it's hard to hear negative criticism; and I've come face-to-face with my own workaholic tendencies. But I've also met a bolder and more optimistic side of myself who really thrills me, one who welcomes positive reviews with gratitude, and the pro who works hard to get it right, to let it sing, and to let it fly when it's ready. Publishing a book has taught me more than many hours of analysis ever could. It's that old adage come to pass, the child is the father of the man. Or, in this case, of the woman.

So, dear child of my heart, wherever you are, and with whomever you are spending time, remember that your mother loves you and wants you to give your best to all whom you encounter.  I love you and have faith in you.
XOXO Mom