Ok, so the next day (Sunday) I woke and felt positively elated at the night before's events. Elated and possibly a little hung over. I didn't talk to my sister and I think it was Monday evening before I got another call from her.
"Hi she said.
"Hi." I replied.
"I got your book." she said "It's great."
"Oh really!" I said "I can't wait to see what you think. I know it's probably not going to be your cup of tea.." ( My sister is gay)
"No..that's more or less what I read, only they're women."
"Really." I said.
"Mum and Danielle and the kids are really excited." she said.
I went cold.
"Um...sorry?" I said.
"Mum and the kids are very ex...cit...ted. I wasn't supposed to say anything?" she said. "I'm Sooo sorry."
"It's ok." I said. "Really I should have told you not to say anything." Now in the back of my mind I'm thinking, DH is going to kill me. we talked about telling my sisters not the whole family.
So the next day I get a call from my Mum (she's 90). She was beyond excited. She wanted to read it. I tried to explain as gently as I could that perhaps it wasn't going to be her kind of book.
"Of course it'll be my kind of book. You wrote it."
"Yes I know Mum and that's really sweet but it's..." I searched desperately for a word...a group of words, anything to explain what was in the book.
"Your sister told me it was a sexy book." Thank you again my sister I thought with a smile.
"Yes that's it. It's a sexy book, I don't know that you'd like it Ma." I said.
"The ladies at Bingo love those kinds of books." she said. "I bet they'd buy your book."
"That's ok Mum." I said. "It's got to be on the computer."
"Oh." she said. That's about as many words as my Mum will use to explain what she thinks about computers. Not much.
That stumped her. I actually felt really bad. The book wasn't that bad was it? And I have to say that is the one thing about all this that really bothers me is that I haven't written anything that my Mum could read. "Ma we could get you an Kindle." I said.
"No." she said. "I don't mess with all those newfangled things. If the words are in there why can't they just make a book?"
"It doesn't work that way Mum but I'll ask." I said. That made her happy and we went on to talk about other things.
DH wasn't all that happy but he could see it wasn't my fault, well not exactly. So we forgot about it and didn't think much about it until my second book came out. DH is adjusting well now to all this although he did have a conniption about my blog on the Australian Taxation Dept. He doesn't think we should go out of our way to upset them. I have to say though that they go out of their way to upset me so it's even stevens.
My other sister? Just as supportive as the first. She loves my book, the first one. She hasn't yet read the second one.
The thing that made me start thinking (and worrying) about all this again is an invitation I got in the mail. To a family baby shower. This will mean I get to be face to face with all the people my Mum has told and all the people she will no doubt tell in front of me. So although I'm a lot more confident than I was, I have to say, I'm petrified. Thank goodness I'll be surrounded by some people I love dearly that DO know and that will no doubt help me through it.
I'm glad your part two of this story has a happy ending! I wish you luck at the baby shower:) I'm sure you'll find people are very supportive there as well. I've found that more people enjoy "sexy books" than I realized! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks Sue! And thank you for all the reviews you've left for An Unexpected Husband. I really appreciate it :)
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