The other night I was checking my online ordering cart for the direct sales of When Hearts Conjoin. Imagine my surprise when I noticed that the most recent sale was sending a copy of the book to Russia! A quick scan of addresses let me know that copies of the book had already been sent to Canada, England, and Australia, as well as to many states across the U.S.
Wow! Sometimes I think we as authors tend to forget that our books can speak to the hearts of people all the way around the world. It's amazing to me to think that someone sitting in a state or a country where I've never been is reading the very words I typed into my computer at home.
Because of the internet, I've also come to see that I have readers for my newspaper and magazine articles from all corners of the world. It's awe-inspiring to consider. What a responsibility that places on me to always put my best work out for others to read.
Of course, this has also made me appreciate more the work of others who I enjoy reading. What if JK Rowling hadn't continued to write despite all those rejections? Or if Laura Hillenbrand hadn't researched, written and submitted her book despite the agorophobia she suffered from? What if no one had ever thought to trasnlate Cornilia Funke's books from German to English? My reading work would have been a much different place.
The older I get, the smaller the world seems to become, and as a writer, I'm glad that people can find me, just like I've found so many of them and made their work a part of my life. I hope I'll someday hear from my worldwide fans, and I'm hear to say, my book publication career has just begun.
If you'd like to purchase one of my books, I'm excited to announce that they are now available at Amazon.com
When Hearts Conjoin, the true story of the Herrin family, including conjoined twins Kendra and Maliyah can be purchased at the following link:
am also a contributor in Famous Family Nights, a collection of essays by ninety-one well-known members of the LDS church about how to make your family nights more meaningful. Also included in this volume are stories from Alan Osmond, as well as many LDS writers my readers probably already know.
Also, used copies are still available of Teaching Ideas for 7-12 English Language Arts: What Really Works. I was a guest contributor with the chapter Recipe for the Reluctant Reader: Add Young Adult Literature and Stir. My chapter includes much of the information I present when I speak at educator conferences.
