I love a good bucket list. You know, those things you want to accomplish before you “kick the bucket” and skip through those pearly gates into God’s heavenly bliss. We all have them. I have one too. It’s filled with things like, going on a true sleigh ride while it’s snowing with horses and jingle bells, and touring Vermont at the peak of the fall color. I may or may not have “dance with Derek Hough” on there too. (If anyone knows Derek, put in a good word for the middle-aged ex-dancer mom!) But having a book signing at Barnes and Noble was never on my list. Not because I didn’t think it was a super cool thing to do, but because I never, in a million years, thought it might actually happen.
But it did. And I’m still kind of freaking out.
When you’re a newbie author like me, you have no idea how this whole “writing a book” thingy goes. But when you feel called to do it, you just put your head down, strap on your noise canceling headphones, and get to work. That’s what I’ve done this past year. It was almost one year to the day since I began this writing journey to when this baby of a book was born into the world. And I’m finding that I’m just as clueless about what happens after the book is released as I was about the book creating process itself. But again, God is good, and He is walking me through this next phase of the journey gently holding my hand and wowing me in ways only He can.
Cue the Barnes and Noble opportunity.
It was the day before my book was to officially launch and my husband sent me a text with a screen shot of a post from our local Barnes and Noble Facebook page. It was a photo of a stack of my books on the information desk of the store with a sweet announcement that the book was available for purchase there. What?!! I hadn’t even reached out to them yet to inquire about having my book there! All the questions began circling in my head. “How did they get the books?” “Where did they hear about it?” So I did what anyone would do in that situation…..
I squealed, clapped my hands like a four year old, and forwarded the screenshot to my mom. (And then called the store a couple of days later to get the scoop.)
I met with the manager of the store, John, and said he had heard through the grapevine that I had written a book and he loves to support local authors. Then he graciously offered to host a book signing for me! The whole conversation is still a little fuzzy because one side of my brain was focusing on trying to answer his questions intelligently, and the other half was acting like a teenager on too much coffee rapid firing comments and excitement like a crazy person. I couldn’t believe this was actually happening.
Now I’m sure you’re saying, seriously woman, get a grip. It’s a book signing. In ONE store. In a small town. Yea, I know. You’re right. But to me it felt like that exciting moment at a running race when the athletes are anxiously waiting at the starting line for the gun to go off signally the beginning of their event. They have trained and worked, sweat and toiled to get to the place where they’re ready to release what they have long been preparing to do. And now it’s here. That crack of the starting gun telling the runners it’s “go time”. It’s time to see what all this work was for.
This book signing felt like my starting gun.
The day came and I arrived 20 minutes early thinking it would give me time to get settled, gather my thoughts, and pray that maybe one person would show up. Well, those great plans of some prep time didn’t exactly happen. I walked in and there was a handful of people already in line waiting. Uhh…the line for coffee at Starbucks is on the other side of the store people. Are you sure you’re in the right place? They were. Oh my goodness.
The first person in line laid my book down in front of me open to a specific chapter that spoke to him. He was going through some difficulties in his life, not cancer related, and there was something in those pages that gave him encouragement and hope. I so wish I could remember everything he said, but I was too overwhelmed with the fact that God was using my story to help someone with a situation that I had no knowledge of.
The next lady in line was a complete stranger who stood clutching my book in her hands with tears streaming down her face. She proceeded to tell me that her daughter had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. Unlike the previous gentleman, her words were few and labored so I simply got up from behind the table and hugged her. I could feel her sadness and I tried to reassure her, the best I could, that she wasn’t alone.
A little later another woman appeared in front of my table with a questioning, yet resolute look on her face. She proceeded to tell me that even though she had a mountain of housework to do, she felt strongly led to leave it all behind, take some time for herself and come to Barnes and Noble. She said, “I have no reason for being here, but I think I’m supposed to get your book.” I happily signed it for her, and said a little prayer to myself that God would bless her right where she needed it that day.
The flow of the rest of the afternoon consisted of some wonderful friends and family just coming to support me, to a recent breast cancer survivor, looking beautiful in her head covering, who had just finished her treatments. After it was all over, we had sold out of Barnes and Noble’s stock. I packed up my things, went back to my car and took a big, deep breath.
Wow, that just happened.
I was so grateful. I was grateful for my incredible friend and publisher, Staci Wallace, for flying all the way from Texas to be there, and beautifully supporting me through this process. I was grateful for John at Barnes and Noble for not only giving me the opportunity, but for making this experience such a wonderful and memorable one. And I was grateful to God for pushing me to tell my story, and for going before me to show me this path. He is faithful and once again, true to His promise to work all things together for good.
I don’t know what the next leg of this race will look like, but I’m thankful for the start.
