They are the garters to my pantyhose … the suspenders to my now too large trousers … the straps to my wonder bra … my bricks and crazy glue!
I take this time to say THANK YOU to the men and women who have held my hand through the days, nights, years of fun, laughter, tears, confusion, disgust, desperation and ultimate joy that has been the writing and publishing creative process of having my first novel ‘AT LAST’ published ‘at last’ …
Thank you to the EX-Amples & Friends; the home circle; the mamas; the aunties; the guy friends; the big brothers; THE big brother; the online community and everyone else that I may have left out…
You will never know what your love, shoulders and support have meant to me over the years.
It was a humbling experience to sit in the AV Room at NALIS on Saturday past (September 12, 2009) and listen to people talk about me in terms that I would have considered foreign to me had they said these things to me before now.
This entire experience has taught me so very much. Being new to any realm is always tough, but being new to publication and ‘author-dom’ is a learning curve that is not to be believed.
The process of shopping one’s work around is eye-opening, particularly as a Caribbean woman. The level of disrespect that is shot your way is amazing. The need for everyone to say the same thing all the time ‘well, you are an unknown Caribbean entity, and we are not sure what your audience is going to be … May we suggest that you vanity publish?”
Too much! And now having been published, I am faced with the realization that my own people could give a damn. I contacted three local booksellers regarding stocking my novel on consignment and was told that “We don’t usually take work from unknown local authors on consignment, but good luck to you…” Can a sistah get a break up in here???
One of my support folk said to me last night “Just wait till Oprah calls you … then EVERYBODY gonna want your book. Then they can all just kiss your ass!” I laughed, and was strangely comforted by the statement, because it would take a miracle for the mighty Miss Winfrey to notice my work … but one never knows.
To bookselling community in Trinidad and Tobago I just want to thank you all for your life lessons.
To everybody else, AT LAST by Donna Mae Greaves can be purchased at:
http://www.soulwritepublishing.com/BookDetails.aspx?itemid=010
Thank you darlings – I love you all and thank you in advance for your purchases at Soul Write…
Be blessed.
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3 comments:
You deserve this.
Eat your heart out Nigel Khan - you may just have lost a valued customer!
Hugs
And then people wonder why Naipaul was so quick to disown us. De man gorn an win de Nobel an Trinidad want to claim him back. He may be an eccentric rude old goat but but I say Trinidad well deserve to have him piss on we.:-)
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