It Isn’t Extraordinary

As I ended the call, I sat on one end of my sofa stunned, not sure whether to laugh or cry. The call was from a buyer at a local gift shop. Five weeks ago, I had stopped to talk with him about carrying my books, “The Halloween Scare” and “The Christmas Church”. It was the first week of September and he asked if he could keep and read the two books.

About two weeks later, I called and checked in with him, and he said he hadn’t read my books yet, but he would. I called another week later and asked if he had made a decision regarding my books since we were now in prime buying season for “The Halloween Scare”. He said the store was already full of Halloween merchandise and it was kind of late for him to fit my books into the displays.

“Okay” I sighed. Do you still want to consider “The Christmas Church”? He said he would get back to me. Two more weeks went by, and I called but he wasn’t in. I left a message on his voicemail.

He called me back today. He said he had read “The Halloween Scare” and found it to be a charming book but it was too late to take it for Halloween this year. Ya think since it’s been five weeks? He hadn’t had time to read the 32 pages of “The Christmas Church” but one of his co-workers had read it and they said “it isn’t extraordinary.”

I wanted to shout into the phone, Are you kidding me!  Do you think the Hello Kitty Christmas book you have on display right now is extraordinary? But instead, I thanked him for his time and consideration. Before we hung up, he suggested I come into the store next July and talk with him again about my books. I don’t think so, buddy.

I wrote “The Christmas Church” during the heart of the pandemic when so many of us were losing loved ones to COVID-19. It’s a story about family and memories and those who have impacted our lives with their love whether they are still in our lives or have moved on…or even passed on. 

I remember the first time I read it for a room full of seniors at the retirement community in Texas where I used to work.  While I was reading, I knew the story was striking a chord because people were dabbing at their eyes with tissues. When I got to the end of the story and closed the book, three of the ladies in the room were sobbing loudly and a number of others were weeping quietly.

In December of 2022 at one of my stores in Texas, a woman bought a copy of “The Christmas Church”. She left the store then came back an hour later and bought 15 more copies. She told the shop owner she was going to give it to everyone for Christmas that year.

“The Christmas Church” has been my second-best selling book for the last four years.

I guess extraordinary is subjective.

A couple of the extraordinary hand painted water color illustrations by artist Vicki Killion Guess

Nothing is more difficult for an author than trying to sell and market books. Like most (all?) authors, I absolutely despise that part of the publishing process. I love the challenge of writing a story and creating a book that didn’t exist before. Selling books, not so much…but I will keep trying because I believe all of my books ARE extraordinary.

Here’s an excerpt from “The Christmas Church”:

Some people are with us for most of our lives. Others only stay in our lives for a short time. That doesn’t make them any less important to us. We must remember the ones who have shared our journey and be grateful for the time we had with them. The ones who loved and cared for us, and whose hands and hearts held us along the way. The people we love don’t leave us entirely. They leave something of themselves with us.  The key is to find a way to keep moving forward in life after they’re gone.

To purchase “The Christmas Church” on Amazon:https://amzn.to/47iqbuz

Or for a signed copy, order from this website.