Reasons to Keep Writing: Emma

Moments that make the struggle worth it

I met Emma at a book signing at Rediscovered Books in downtown Boise. She didn’t immediately come over to my table; she had to be coaxed over by her mother, who’d spotted The Glass Frog from across the room and then spent a few minutes debating whether or not to engage. She did, and after a few questions, she decided my work was suitable to introduce to Emma, her nine year-old daughter. After that, it was up to Emma to decide if she wanted a copy.

So there we were — a little girl who’d been dragged across the store by her know-nothing parents to look at something she had absolutely no interest in, and an old man trying to keep alive his dream of being a real-life, bona fide writer. She was polite enough to read the back cover. I was polite enough to keep my trap shut and let her perform for her folks (Dad and Grandpa were there, too).

And then her face lit up. She mentioned two comp titles that I’d never heard of. “She likes both of those books,” her mother helpfully explained. “A lot.”

We chatted for a few minutes, and then she set the book down and said she wanted to look around a bit. Which happens. No big deal. I thanked her for coming and wished her a nice day. Mom gave me a bit of an apologetic shrug, and I went back to trying to attract the next potential buyer.

Then Emma and her family came back. Turns out she’d simply wanted to have a discussion about finances in private. Not only did she want to buy a copy, but she wanted to do it using her own money that she’d saved up from raking leaves. This little girl, who only moments before was simply going through the motions to humor the adults in her life, had decided to spend her hard earned money on something I wrote.

That moment. That feeling. That’s the reason to do this.