Dear Friends,
Happy Saturday! Soon I will write some ponderings I had from my trip to Malta (!!) last week, especially seeing some of Caravaggio’s works in person. But today I am happily bleary eyed after last night’s festivities… my book launch! My book You are a Tree: and other metaphors to nourish life, thought, and prayer released in the UK on the 17th for which one of my favourite book shops hosted an event.
It was, honestly, a dream come true.
Maybe it sounds silly to say, but I’ve always dreamed of doing a book signing and to do it in one of my very favourite bookshops in the world… well! I honestly felt like a kid in a candy shop. The whole experience was just wonderful. When I arrived, the booksellers greeted and me with a stack of several dozen books for me to sign, along with some lovely refreshments of grapes and chocolate biscuits!
I brought along my LAMY joy pen for the occasion.
To my shock and delight, it was a full house! I honestly thought most of the audience would be my friends who are bound by kindness to come. But it was so wonderful to see the lovely bookshop packed to the gills, to see unfamiliar faces and amongst them familiar faces I didn’t expect to come.
It was a particular pleasure to have this event in St. Andrews Scotland. I completed my PhD at St Andrews and spent more than my fair share of money on books in Toppings and many of the scenes, stories, and examples in the book took place in or are drawn from my time living in this Auld Grey Toon (the old grey town). the sunrise over the east sands, the excessive abundance of the St Andrews pear trees, the poised graduation speeches of the inimitable principal of the university…I read some of these scenes aloud to nods of familiarity.
Afterward, I signed some books and dedications. This experience brought my one practical take away: when signing books, do so toward the bottom of the book so that if you have to later write someone’s name you can do so in the blank above! It was lovely to meet new readers and old. I can be a bit shy about these things, but for some reason it all felt so comfortable and delightful. After two months of the mysterious and strange work of promoting my book from my living room, it was such a pleasure to be in a real room with real books. To chat afterward with people about trees and Tolkien and creativity. A reward. I am quite happy.
Today I’m happily exhausted from the adrenaline high of it all. I plan to ease my way through the day and to indulge in the little pleasures I left in store for today’s luxuriations: reading Daniel Deronda, listening to the new Vampire Weekend album, and painting my nails with a new polish I got. It really is the little things.
What will you do with your day?
With love,
Joy
p.s. If you’re in the UK and fancy buying the book, you can get a copy through the Topping & Company bookseller website or in one of their shops!
The best. This sounds like it was just the best 🙂
How fun!!! It sounds like a perfect book event and the setting is just so adorable!! Glad you were able to relax and enjoy it, you earned it!! For the past several weeks I have been hosting a weekly book club at my house with 3 friends discussing a chapter at a time of your book. Sharing books with one another is just so fun.