My First Fan!

I gained my first real-life fan at an event last week.

It is most significant because he isn’t a friend, family member, part of my writing community, or someone I have worked with in the past. I published my first book of poetry eight months ago with the release of Embody, and most of the people who have reached out to me with words of support or request for an autograph are my friends and family. But, this guy wasn’t.

Last week, I attended a writing retreat, and I had my three poetry books on display. I should clarify that of those three books, one was a proof copy because the book hasn’t officially been released. The manager of Peel Manor House, where the retreat was being hosted, came upon the display at night after the events had been completed for the day. He flipped through them out of curiosity, and was apparently, captivated by my words. He stayed up late at night reading my books, and he read them out to others on his team.

He said to me that he liked the books so much that he wanted to purchase them right then and there. It warmed my heart to see that he had placed a sticky note on each book, claiming it as his. And then, he tried to convince me to leave him with all three copies. I couldn’t, of course, given that the third book, Embolden, isn’t released, and the second book, Embrace, isn’t yet widely available. I could only sell him one book, the first, Embody.

I was in disbelief to see someone touched by my words. I have had friends and family tell me they enjoy my words, and although I appreciate it, I also know they love me and want to support me.

I wrote those poems at some of the most difficult times I have gone through, and I wrote them as a way to process what I was going through. When I published them, my intention was merely to share, hoping that others would find them entertaining. I didn’t think it would touch another person, much less that they would connect with them on a personal level.

To find someone who connected with them, was priceless. Getting compliments from someone who knows nothing about me, means the world to me.