That author is here.

A dear friend recently had a beautiful book launch event that was so inspiring. She went all out for the event. My husband was cracking me up because he said more people were at the event than at our wedding (he’s not wrong, LOL).

My friend wanted to support other local authors for the event, so she brought several of their books and placed them in the center of each table. I asked if I could add a few of my books to the pile. She immediately said yes.

It was funny because I had to decide what book to take to the event. My friend wrote a nonfiction book, and I didn’t know if people would want to read my steamy romance. You never know how people will react to steamy romance. My experience over the years has been positive and negative, so I make it clear what I write for every one of my books. I’m even thinking about adding a steamy scale and making clear where each book lands on the scale. 

To make the situation simple at the event, I had three of my Hope’s Gift (The Winters Family Book Five) available. That book is a sweet holiday romance. I’m a fan of Hallmark movies and thought it would be fun to write with that simple yet loving feel to the story. It was perfect for my friend's event.

Confession: I sometimes struggle with tooting my own horn or recognizing my writing talent. So when I added the books to the piles on the tables with other talented authors, this voice in my head wanted to tell me it was a waste of my time. Thankfully, I ignored the voice and did it anyway.

I met a woman and her husband during the event, and we started chatting. I ended up sharing about my book that I placed on the tables. She was immediately excited and wanted to see the book. Instead of taking the book (so another person at the event could enjoy it), she took a picture and said she planned to buy it. 

That conversation changed my thoughts. I knew at that moment my negative voice had been wrong.

The woman’s excitement continued when she noticed someone grab my book. She literally said to that person, “That author is here. I can introduce you.”

Then I met the woman who grabbed my book. She is also a romance author and told me she could tell it was a romance story, so she grabbed it. I’ve exchanged emails with her, and in an email, she told me how much she was enjoying the book.

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Can we talk about that negative voice I had before the event? It’s not so negative right now.

One thing I believe completely is that I can write loving stories with super fun dialogue. I also know my stories make readers hungry with all the delicious food conversations.

Talking to people about my books makes those positive beliefs stronger.

Ignoring the negative thoughts and stepping into the uncomfortable was definitely a must.

My friend's event, the women who showed excitement for my book, and being surrounded by talented entrepreneurs were exactly what my heart and confidence needed.

A few days after the event, I was so inspired I made a recipe from Hope’s Gift (The Winters Family Book Five) and wrote a small scene with the main characters. So much inspiration all around.

You can enjoy the book and recipe in the first tier of the Terra Kelly Subscription or grab the book here.