I'm an ambivert so while I love spending time alone in my writing cave, I also get a lot of energy and joy from meeting with readers and other writers. The annual Passport to Romance event in Bellevue used to be the highlight of my year--even before I got published! But I have some high risk members of my family, so for the last couple of years I have been only attending virtual events like facebook parties and online writer cons. This focus on the virtual has led me to appreciate the ways we can interact and connect long distance. And during that time I have a few really touching, really meaningful reader interactions.
Over a year ago, a reader reached out to me through a note transcribed by her husband, expressing how much my books had meant to her and distracted her during her bed rest. She just wanted to let me know that she was looking forward to the next book, and how my words had given her something to enjoy during a difficult time.
It was a profoundly meaningful moment of connection, for all that was virtual. My words had reached someone who was struggling, and made that struggle a little lighter. As an author, I can think of no better complement, and no higher purpose for my books. To have a note like that land in my inbox, out of the blue, was such a gift.
My words had reached someone who was struggling, and made that struggle a little lighter.
Writing is often a lonely business, largely involving listening to your inner voice for long stretches of time, and then launching your book into a silent void, hoping it will land and be understood. Whenever a reader breaks that silence to say that your words made a difference, even if their impact was to distract and entertain, it is incredibly touching. My readers don't write to me often but I cherish it every time they do.
During this time when meeting in person is more complicated than ever, I'm deeply grateful that we still have ways to connect with readers.
During this time when meeting in person is more complicated than ever, I'm deeply grateful that we still have ways to connect with readers. I don't know what health challenges that reader was facing exactly, but I wouldn't be surprised if coming to an in-person event would have been impossible for her. So I'm extra grateful for the way the internet and our virtual lives allow for easy connections in all kinds of circumstances.
Find her at http://www.jayceejarvis.com
