I’m still me. Nothing’s changed.

Last week, something exciting happened. For the first time, one of my books hit #1 on Amazon in the Hot New Release category. Although it was a great honor and I’m very thankful to all of you who bought copies, I quickly realized that all those wild and crazy dreams that authors have didn’t exactly happen with the wave of a magic wand.

For example, here is a list of things that didn’t happen after hitting #1.

  1. I wasn’t invited to walk down the red carpet of any award shows. (I was however invited to have Thai food at the neighbor’s house, but that had nothing to do with book sales.)
  2. I wasn’t magically whisked away to a life of luxury in a new mansion. (In fact, I had to mow the yard that night.)
  3. I didn’t receive calls from TV shows wanting to interview me. (I did get a call from a car warranty extension scammer.)
  4. Friends and family didn’t shower me with well wishes. (My mom called to remind me that she needed me to fill in a crack in her driveway.)
  5. Publishers didn’t line up in a bidding war to publish my next book. (Publisher’s Clearing House did send a letter about their next contest.)

So, it’s not all glitz and glam. I’m still wearing the same clothes, writing in the same office, with the same dog sniffing around for dropped morsels of food. And I’m very okay with that!

Carry on, Citizens!