I Once Thought Authors Were Celebrities

Growing up, I saw household names like J.K. Rowling and C.S. Lewis sitting on a shelf and immediately put them in the same bracket as the literary legends such as Shakespeare and Homer.

To me, what set them apart from each other was simply time. 

I essentially viewed authors as celebrities which made my dream of becoming an author myself seem as impossible and larger than life as when a child tells you they want to be an astronaut, pro-league athlete, or a racecar driver. It doesn’t seem like something one simply chooses to do and accomplishes it with standard schooling and half-cooked plans. 

I assumed there was a discoverability factor involved – a sort of scouting process. I figured to achieve being published, I’d have to enroll in some sort of contest, work for a company in journalism, etc. I had no clue it was something I could achieve, relatively solo. 

Until the term “Indie Author” graced my ears. 

I dove into the research after that. I found that many of today’s authors started out by self-publishing and if/when their work becomes popular, publishers pick it up and run with it. 

That was how the dream emerged from the fog and grew into something achievable. 

I wrote, and wrote, and wrote. I researched self-publishing avenues. I got my novel out there.

Now I attend local author events when I can. 

Recently, I brought my oldest daughter, a newbie book worm, with me to a Local Author Book Fair, hosted by Opp Chamber of Commerce, where 30+ authors set up tables of their works. It was a wonderland of talent ranging from children’s board books, books about faith, and genres based on fantasy and lore. There was something there for everyone.

The Chamber were gracious and entertaining hosts, making all the authors and attendees feel welcome and appreciated. I sincerely hope they continue to host these events, and/or events similar, and encourage people to allow their creativity to grow. Support from communities is hard to come by, but when people rally behind you, it makes a night and day difference in a creator’s confidence. 

One of my favorite moments from that night was when a young author, Viktori Alexandra, decided to befriend my daughter. Alexandra writes poetry and YA Sci-Fi which includes her first series. Toward the end of the evening, Alexandra approached my daughter and me with a copy of the first book in her series and offered to sign it with a personal dedication for my daughter. (Cue the preteen tears)

I was also approached by the author set up at the table behind me, Jo Taylor. She writes historical fiction, which is a genre I usually can’t escape into, but I find her latest book Mimi and Maurice to be riveting. When Taylor introduced herself and her work, she also asked if I was on Substack – I had no idea what it was and she let me in on the secret. We later talked about other author events and promised to keep in touch. I felt like I had been taken under her wing and she didn’t mind me viewing her as a newly appointed mentor. 

I met many other authors while I was there, all worthy of a mention, but for the sake of staying on topic, I’ll limit my storytelling to just two encounters in this entry. 

The ride home was filled with chatter of our favorite moments. My daughter couldn’t believe she could feel like she was able to call an author her friend and that she was gifted something so precious with so much thought. It is now her most prized and cherished possession  – perhaps she is more of a book dragon than a book worm. 

If my own journey to becoming an author wasn’t enough to disprove my childhood view of authors being larger than life, and instead are just regular people, meeting fellow authors from my area solidified it. 

The hilarious caveat is, my daughter doesn’t see me in the same light as she does Alexandra. I suppose she has reached the age where nothing parents do can be considered cool, but let someone else do it and it's officially the best thing ever. 

I’m still me, even though I’ve written and published a novel. I haven’t risen to the stardom I placed on the names I grew up seeing on bound spines – because authors are and remain people with dreams and stories to tell. 

Humbly, 

Haleigh