My husband and I prefer road trips to any other travel. Since publishing A Better Life, our road trips have been fairly local, to independent book stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. The other day we visited one in Milford and one in Peterborough, New Hampshire. They were the first two bookstores that did not accept any books on consignment, and while I was disappointed, it was totally understandable from a business point of view. It wasn’t unlike receiving a rejection letter or email for a submitted short story or a thank-you from an agent saying my work wasn’t a good fit.

It was far from a wasted trip, however, as the manager in Milford steered me to and gave me contact information for the New Hampshire Writers’ Project (www.nhwritersproject.org). I learned about their “Brick and Mortar” program, where they help local authors get into independent bookstores. I also signed up for their one-day writers’ conference on April 27, where I will participate in workshops in scene, setting, and character-driven plot. And most importantly of all, I will be with other writers. It has been too long.

The next day we visited Gibson’s Bookstore in Concord, New Hampshire, where they readily accepted three copies of my novel to add to their shelves of local authors. Having books out there, on the shelves of five bookstores and on the counter of one salon, brings a deep sense of satisfaction.

This weekend my husband and I and one of our granddogs went up to our house on Lake Todd in Newbury, NH. It is where I do much of my writing and where I continue to be inspired and focused. As my work on the new novel continued, the marketing and promotion continued as well, with visits to two local, community bookstores: MainStreet BookEnds in Warner (www.mainstreetbookends.com) and Morgan Hill Bookstore in New London (www.morganhillbookstore.com). I wasn’t sure what to expect or even exactly what I would say, but my goal was to have A Better Life on their shelves.

I started at MainStreet BookEnds, a magical place in Warner. It was Saturday afternoon when we walked in and I said to the owner, Katharine, “I have a question. Do you take self published books by local authors?” Yes.

She graciously took three copies on consignment. She asked me to sign them, then she put a sticker on the cover that said it was signed by the author. She put one right on the shelf, facing out for all the world to see. While I am happy to have it available on Amazon, for it to have a place in a bookstore has brought it to a whole new level.

The next day, I went to New London, to the Morgan Hill Book Store, another wonderful community bookstore. With a little more confidence this time, I told the woman behind the counter, Jolie, that I was a local author with a published book and wondered if they would be willing to take some books on consignment. Yes. This store was a little busier at the time, so I didn’t get to see it on the shelf, but she took two copies and wished me well and after I left there I stopped at Bubba’s Restaurant and wrote before I went back to my house on the lake.

My first novel is on the shelves in two incredible, family-owned community bookstores in New Hampshire, and I am so grateful to have such amazing opportunities to reach readers, one (or two, or three) at a time.

The book launch for my first novel was a night of innocence and revelations and joy, of pride and congratulations and joy. Everything was perfect.

People asked about the story, the characters, the time it took to write the book, about where I got the idea. The conversations were easy and I signed about forty books, only forgetting a couple of names.

I chose two selections from the novel to read, a few pages from chapter two and a few from chapter five. It was the first time I read the story out loud to anyone and I felt the power behind the words more than I did when they were lying flat on the page. I looked up after the first reading and everyone looked back at me, leaning forward silently. I thought something was wrong, but found out later they were wanting and waiting for more. It was absolutely silent for a few seconds before someone clapped and there was a little nervous laughter. After I read the second time, I raised my glass in a toast to all the incredible people who came to be part of that special night and wish me well.