This whole getting published thing has been a pretty interesting learning experience.
First off, I should preface this with how very grateful I am. My editors were able to sift through my incessant need to repeat myself, my overusage of exclamation points, and my addiction to subplots...to see two really great core stories. Which means that What If Guy will be out for the masses in August of 2011, and Dillon & Gabe's story (to be renamed) will be out in June, July, & August of 2012.
Needless to say, I'm one grateful chicky. Big time grateful.
So here is something I have learned since getting signed with a publisher: You learn who your true friends are when you hit on good times like this. Now, granted, I am not getting paid yet. I don't make money until my books sell. However...I have finally succeeded at something I've been striving towards for years.
Not many people can say that they are doing the very job they wanted to do from the time they were little. I can. And I am hella proud of myself, if I do say so myself.
But...I am surprised by how many friends have pulled away from me. In their defense, ever since I started the mind-boggling job of editing my books for publication, I haven't had much time for chewing the fat with my besties. That goes without saying. But...I've actually had a few friends stop talking to me.
It could be a multitude of things. It could be that they have things going on in their own lives, or that they haven't got the time right now. I can relate to that. But it also could be that I am a big fat jerk off and they don't like me anymore. I won't rule that out. It's happened. Probably might happen again.
But....there have been some friends who have pulled away because I am achieving success. Sometimes someone else's success is a reminder of your own failures. Sometimes watching a friends get what they've set out to achieve is painful, because it reminds you that you have dreams that remain unfounded. Who knows why I've had friends who have pulled away from me. I only know that I miss them, and love them, and hope that they will someday achieve the goals they've set for themselves.
But in the meantime........why rain on my parade?
It's interesting. I am floored by the reaction of my friends. Most are supportive, but some seem...distant. Too bad. I might have dedicated a book to them. Huh.
Brooke Moss.
