A couple of weeks ago, I was selling books with my husband at the Georgia Indie Book Faire in Marietta, GA. This is a lovely event where we find camaraderie among other writers and meet new readers. These are some of the best readers in Georgia. They genuinely love books! Among those readers was one who left a lasting impression on me. Her name is Persephone. She walked in wearing a long, flowing dress that was somewhat in Renaissance style and had lots of fall-themed things on it, like pumpkins and leaves. I love fall, so, you know, bring it. But the coolest thing she had with her was a list. She shared with us how she researches all the authors who will be in attendance and their books, looks on her shelf to see which she already has and which sequels she needs to buy if the books are part of a series. What she may not have known when she walked in was that I needed to hear exactly what she had to say. She told me how she loved being in the Wayward Saviors world, and she hoped I was writing the next book in the series because she wanted to spend more time in that world.

As an author, we’re often not sure of the effect our books have on people. Readers don’t always leave reviews, or maybe it has been a while since we received any feedback from them and we’re wondering should we even proceed with the next book in the series? Now, I don’t require a lot of validation, but once in a while that pesky condition of being human rears its head. Thank you, Persephone. You had the right words on the right day. I was also told a story about how Persephone found out someone was alone on their birthday and took them out for drinks. That’s just who she is. You are walking sunshine, my lady, and an example to us all. Keep on shining, Persephone–see you next year!