December 2, 2017
Reading aloud to an audience was not a new experience. I had read plays, interpretive readings, speeches, and prepared scripts for different people on several occasions. The big alteration was for the author event at Barnes & Noble, I would be reading MY written work. It was the first reading of my debut novel, a science fiction story about three distinct sexes with a mixture of pronouns and strange concepts. I admit to a bit of stage fright.
The bookstore set up a cozy reading area on a busy shopping day with people passing the display of books and good friends came to bolster my courage. Then, I started reading aloud the words that had been created and rewritten over and over, and the characters were there in my mind, in the spoken words, in the ears of those listening. The age old tradition of telling a story encompassed us and all that was missing was a campfire. The experience of telling my story to listeners, of sharing ideas and work, was exhilarating.
I greatly appreciate Barnes & Noble, the friends and listeners who attended, and the readers who purchased signed copies of The Deerwhere Awakening. Let’s do it again!