Have you ever been to a book signing? They're so much fun! You get to meet a favorite author. Talk to them and ask questions. Interact face to face. 

Have you ever wondered what it might be like from the author's point of view? Well, read on. Author Laura Bradford is going to give you a glimpse. 

The Breath of Air, Reader-Style

By Laura Bradford

The life of a writer can be rather isolating at times. We spend a large amount of each day holed up in front of a computer, creating worlds and characters. While there’s no doubt most of us do it because we love it, it can get a little lonely. There are no co-workers to meet up with for lunch, no water cooler to hang around while talking about last night’s episode of whatever hot show is on at the moment, and not a lot to talk about with our spouse at the end of the day beyond “I wrote.”

So when a book comes out and we get a chance to come out from behind our computers and meet the people who are glad “I wrote,” it’s exciting.

Needless to say, the promise of meeting some of my readers at one of my favorite independent bookstores on Friday night was something I looked forward to all week. 

Before I knew it, I was walking into Aaron’s Bookstore in Lititz, Pennsylvania to find a signing table all ready for me along with a lot of copies of my latest book, SHUNNED AND DANGEROUS, and a candle.

The candle was just in case the power (that had gone off nearly town-wide an hour earlier) didn’t return by the time the signing started…but it did.

I don’t think I was sitting for more than two minutes when the first of many customers came through the door looking, specifically, for me. Some were new faces—people who’d read about my appearance in the Sunday book section and wanted to stop by for a copy. Some were faces I’ve met at previous signings at the store—people who’d given my series a chance the first time around and enjoyed it so much they’ve come back for each subsequent book. Some were faces I’ve met on Facebook—people who found me on the social media site because of my books and have become my friends.

As a writer, we always wonder if what we write is good enough, if readers will like it, if reviewers will like it, if the publisher will be happy, et cetera. We second guess ourselves and our ability at times. But when people seek us out, when they carve out time on a Friday night just to come out and meet us because they love the stories we tell and the worlds we’ve created, it doesn’t get much better than that. 

I love to write, I always have.

But I also love the people who have chosen to take this journey with me. They make it more special and more fulfilling. For that, I am eternally grateful.

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Laura Bradford is the best-selling author of The Amish Mysteries. SHUNNED AND DANGEROUS, the third book in the series, released this month. To learn more about Laura, The Amish Mysteries, or the Southern Sewing Circle Mysteries she writes under her pen name, Elizabeth Lynn Casey, visit her website: www.laurabradford.com. Or “like” her author page on Facebook.

Aaron’s Bookstore in Lititz, Pennsylvania