March 21, 2016

A is for Authorstition: #ThisIsMyBookSpot

I do not consider myself a superstition person. 

Sure, I avoid walking under ladders --because danger zone, party of one-- and, yes, I hold my breath when driving past a cemetery until I pass a white house because why would I want my soul ripped out of my body by the evil-magnetic ectoplasm that most ghosts have?

And I don't know if I'd call them super, but I've recently developed two authorstitions that just so happen to take place in my professional mothership: the bookstore. 

These authorstitions are as follows:

AUTHORSTITION #1: 
I ALWAYS make a spot on the bookstore shelf where my book will be.

Authorstition #1: Finding my book spot and making a space.


AUTHORSTITION #2: 
I ALWAYS walk away from my future book spot, circle the store, then go back to my spot and act disappointed that the latest Davis Girl book is temporarily Sold Out. 
Authorstition #2: Aw, man. The latest Davis Girl book is Sold Out [wink].

My most recent authorstition event occurred during post-dinner coffee with three amazing Buffalonian-Authoresses. No two of us are in the same stage of publication, but a few similarities did rear their lovely heads over the course of our evening.

The Buffalonian-Authoresses kicking it in the kidlit section. 
(L to R: Dee, Sandi, TheDavisGirl, Nicole)

After a long overdue dinner out, we four Buffalonian-Authoresses teleported to a nearby bookstore, bogarted some chairs, and set up camp in the kidlit section next to the toy train table with all the toy cars and germs. 

We talked the big issues like writing, and where the bathroom was. And dogs. And children. And spouses. And caffeine. And Fuller House. It was cathartic. Especially swapping WIP stories, plot lines, fears, frustrations, and favorite writing snacks. 

Then writing habits came up. Good habits. Weird habits. 

So when one of them looked around at a shelf and mentioned that she likes to picture her book on the bookstore shelf, I spilled. I told them about my book-spot authorstition AND THEY DIDN'T EVEN LAUGH AT ME AND WE ALL FOUND OUR BOOK SPOTS TOGETHER AND TOOK PICTURES AND IT WAS AWESOME.

This is Nicole's book spot


This is Sandi's book spot.


This is Dee's book spot.


In addition to a night of writerly bonding, I acquired a new respect for the differences between my colleagues' good, bad, and ugly writing habits and my own. In conclusion, Buffalonian-Authoresses are awesome because they know that writing is awesome. 

And fun.

And maddening.

And unpredictable.

And stupid.

And exhilarating.

And hateful. But only on Sundays. 

And I wouldn't give it up for anything. 

Except coffee because Coffee doesn't slam into your brain in the middle of a conference call with your new boss to inform you that It won't share anymore information with you until you make Its nemesis appear in every other chapter starting with scene six.  I know this doesn't happen to everyone. But this is my book adventure.

And this is my book spot: 
#ThisIsMyBookSpot. 
So, fellow writers: What are your authorstitions?

And where is your book spot?

Let me know in the comments or post your #ThisIsMyBookSpot on Twitter.