Shameless Self-Promotion

/ Pam Hearon / , , / 37 Comments

EDITED: Hi everybody! Cynthia D’Alba sticking her head in. Pam didn’t know how to add pictures and I thought I’d add them so you will see the pure joy on her face at her first signing! Congrats, Pam. 

All of us here at ENALR are romance authors, but you already knew that.  The purpose of this blog is to get to know us as people.  Our likes, dislikes, quirks, families, dreams, pet peeves, etc.  You’ve celebrated anniversaries with us, wept with us over pets, laughed with us about our kids’ antics.  We’ve shaken our collective heads when trying to figure out male logic, and applauded and cheered when house renovations have turned out splendidly.

But because I can’t separate that I’m a romance writer from the rest of my being, the part of myself that I’m sharing will come across as the shameless self-promotion that it is.  But, here it comes anyway because I’m too thrilled to write about anything else today!

My Harlequin Superromance debut novel OUT OF THE DEPTHS released on August 7!!!  Yay!!!  This is the book that Cynthia D’Alba and I were discussing on a beach in Florida one day.  I was frustrated it hadn’t sold.  My agent was frustrated it hadn’t sold.  And as I was venting that frustration one day, Cyndi asked what it was about.  I gave her a short synopsis, after which she uttered those fateful words:  “That sounds like a Superromance.”

I had never read a Superromance, but I started reading them that afternoon.  Wow!  Cyndi was right.  Everything about the line felt right.  My agent agreed, submitted to the line, and the rest is history.

Last week, I walked into the Books-A-Million in my hometown of Paducah, KY and saw one of my books on the shelf for the first time.  It was a feeling like nothing else in the world.  The Yellow Moon Cafe in Cobden, IL, near where I live now, threw a celebration booksigning for me this weekend.  A large crowd showed up–people who cared enough to want to share this special time.  It was thrilling and very humbling.  I tend to be a bit shy, and the thought of being the center of attention had me so intimidated that around 3:00 that afternoon, I was ready to cancel.  But I didn’t–and I’m so glad.  Old friends showed up–some I hadn’t seen in years.  Family.  Former students.  People I’d never met.   An odd conglomeration of personalities coming together to celebrate my dream-come-true.

The highlight of the night came at the end.  The crowd was gone but a small, intimate group remained.  That was when my husband toasted me with champagne.  The pride in his eyes and his voice was another dream-come-true.

And that’s when it hit me that it wasn’t the sales or the reviews or the rankings of the book that was important.  It was the people in my life who believed in me.  Their love and support had made me important for a brief moment in time … made me SOMEBODY.

How about a little shameless self-propmotion of your own.  Share your proud moment with us.  For the first time on this blog, I get to offer a copy of my book to a someone who leaves a comment!  YAY!!!! :-)