I guess the answer is touching people. Lately I’ve felt successful as a writer. It’s certainly not because I’m making money from it. In fact, more often I’m paying out just to create my books. No, lately, I’ve known the satisfaction, in my soul, that’s the reason I worked so hard to write my books over the past dozen years. I’m giving away books but knowing I’m touching lives around the world. And close in, having people I know come up to me and say “I’m loving your books!” I feel sure I’ve taken them into a magical place and given them the sense that it’s a real possibility.
Being selected by indie book awards can feel like success. Every week, enthralling my writers’ groups with the moods and imagination of my sci fi novel feels like success. This is what I wanted: to cause people to experience emotions they want to experience, encounter sights, sounds, characters they want to encounter.
Success feels like when a friend posts me a photo of my books on display at the local library. It gives me a sense of belonging and visibility. (It’s extra fun that I’ve read The Spell of the Sensuous by David Abram, displayed just under my books, and appreciate what’s in it. Additionally, there’s a book on hold for me, just to the right!)
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