Thursday, January 12, 2012

Success is a Red Rose

It feels like everything was leading up to Tuesday. Like a little kid waiting for Christmas, I counted down the days...the hours...the minutes. I poured so much of myself in A MILLION SUNS, and all I wanted to do was share it with you all. A writer's goal is word read, stories lived vicariously through ink.

There were so many highlights from the day. Former students came out--hi Jan, Lauren, Tearle, and Billy! And teachers: so good to see Ann and Laura and Leslie. Also! Family! I adore seeing my cousins Deana and William for any excuse (especially a book and/or Disney related one). Cake pops were all eaten up. My husband manned the Twitter station, and I loved seeing people call him Mr. Beth. Ha!!

It was such a blast sharing the launch party with Steph and Carrie. I get really nervous in those first few minutes of any event--basically, the hardest part is saying "hi." After that, I tell silly stories and talk about how I blow stuff up, but that first moment is always the most difficult. It made it so much easier to have Carrie and Steph at my side so that I was able to quickly pass on the torch of introductions!

But the best part? Seeing the smiles on my parents' faces. I write because of them. My mother taught me a love of reading, and my father taught me a love of stories (he's a born storyteller and can make anyone laugh).


My Poppa gave me a dozen red roses just before the event. Their scent fills my house and reminds me that no accolade or other measure of success matters half as much as this.

24 comments:

Steph Winkelhake said...

This post made me smile. Your parents must be super proud of you! My copy of THE MILLION SUNS just arrived in the mail yesterday, and I can't wait to read it :).

Eric said...

That's awesome. Makes all the hard work you did to get here totally worth it, huh? :)

Steph Winkelhake said...

Ugh! I meant to write A MILLION SUNS. It seems my brain is fried this week!

Gabe (Ava Jae) said...

This post made me smile. So wonderful to hear the launch went so well! I can't wait to get my hands on a copy of A MILLION SUNS. Congratulations!!

DancingJoy said...

The book was amazing!!!!!!!!! Thank you sooooo much! I can't even wait for next year!

Matthew MacNish said...

Congratulations, Beth!

Jennifer Hoffine said...

Aww. Congratulations!

Angela Brown said...

This is so wonderful. Wishing the success contintues chugging along :-)

Misha Gerrick said...

That's such a sweet post. I'm glad to hear that everything went well. :-)

Shannon O'Donnell said...

Awww, that is so beautiful, Beth! :-)

Anonymous said...

That's beautiful, Beth, and such an important thing for people to remember—what really matters!

Congrats on the release! The Mr. did a great job with the twitter party! :)

miki said...

Congrats!

i 'm really happy for you

Crystal said...

That is AWESOME...glad things went so well. I was at the twitter party and I actually one a copy of AMS :-) I'm so happy...cant wait to read it :-D

californiablue17@aol.com

@MadiganHeart

Crystal said...

Ha ha ha "WON" a copy :-P

Diane said...

Congrats and yeah! Can't wait to read it!!! :O)

Jenny said...

That's amazing Beth! I wished I could have come out to see you in person, but I did participate in the blog hop! Your stories are amazing and reflect real life scenarios in a captivating way. I hope Amy and Elder's story goes on for a long time, entertaining teens and working their way into their heart. Congratulations on the release!

Mundie Moms said...

I am so incredibly excited for you! I wish I could have celebrated your release in person with you. AMS is a FABULOUS sequel! Thank you for sharing your story telling talent with all of us.

Tere Kirkland said...

I would have been nervous meeting Steph and Carrie, too! But I'm sure you did great! More importantly, you wrote a great book, and (imo) an even better sequel! Congrats, and rest on your roses for a while, lol. Only not too long. We need Shades of Earth like yesterday. ;)

Natalie Aguirre said...

So very excited for you. My book is coming. I can't wait to read it.

Christina Farley said...

The launch was truly amazing. I really enjoyed it. Even my boys liked watching your glass making video! Congrats girl. These are the moments...

Unknown said...

We had such a great time coming out to Fireside! (This is Clayton & Allison -- crazy couple from Georgia who get books signed together. :) It really was one of the best author events I've been to. I am so glad we were able to be there! I'm about half way finished with A Million Suns and I must say it is stressing me out in the best way possible! And this post almost had be getting misty eyed with the shout out to your parents and flowers from poppa...too cute!

Anonymous said...

Congrats on the release! My copy is on its way...it had better hurry!

How sweet to share such a great moment with your family. Those are the best times!

Evie said...

What a great post! I'm really happy for you :)

Kiki Hamilton said...

Congratulations Beth!