Over the 4th of July weekend, my husband and I packed the kids in the minivan and headed off through West Virginia to the Lexington, Kentucky area to have a mini family reunion for his side of the family. One of his cousins was celebrating their 10th Wedding Anniversary, and as real Maddreys (vs. those of us who married in and might lean more toward introversion than those with the actual DNA) are never shy about finding a reason to party, everyone converged to attend the shindig they’d planned.
During the weekend, I began to play a little game with myself about who was going to ask if I’d written my second book yet. See, I made a bit of a big deal about the first book. I was so excited that Wisdom to Know was being published that, in behavior very contrary to how I normally am, I told everyone I could think of about it. And…as I think most authors would admit, their debut novel doesn’t go on to represent the quality of their writing forever. We improve. We work at it. And as much as I love Wisdom to Know, I also recognize that there were some pieces of it that could have used some improvement. And after a number of reviewers said the same thing…I kind of stopped making such a big deal about new releases when it came to family members.
So when the question arose (first to the gate was Uncle Johnny, published in non-fiction, so it made sense that he asked) he was chagrined to hear that I just released my 10th book at the beginning of June. His mouth flopped open and shut for a few minutes and then he said, “So I guess you’re enjoying writing?” We had a good chuckle. I asked if he thought he’d write a third book and his response was, “Not if I can help it.” So, yeah, our enjoyment of the writing life is somewhat different.
Next to ask was Aunt Betty Ann, though she knew I’d finished the first trilogy and wanted me to autograph her kindle. (And seriously, that made my day.) But the number ten still left her a little flabbergasted. So we chatted a bit about Courage to Change and Serenity to Accept. And she mentioned how much she enjoyed Matt and Laura, a recurring couple throughout those first three books. Did she know, I wondered, that I’d written a novella about those two?
Nope. No idea that Joint Venture was out there, a prequel to the Grant Us Grace series (and quite a deal at $0.99, if I say so myself.) She wondered why I’d gone back to write about them and it was fun to talk about how much I fell in love with Matt and Laura as they were friends and mentors, first to Kevin and Lydia, then to Phil and Allison, and finally to Jason and Karin. I wasn’t ready to let them fade off into the sunset without us first getting a glimpse at how they turned their long-time friendship into a solid marriage and family.
And I loved them so much, that they cropped up (as do the other six friends) in the Remnants series. While technically women’s fiction (and so not a series that I talk much about here on InspyRomance, since the main character sisters are already married and dealing with difficulty starting their own families), there’s still romance, even if it’s married couple romance as June and July (pronounced Julie) and their respective hubbies struggle to start families.
Finally was cousin Emily, who’d read the first and knew about the second, but not much more. We talked for quite a bit about all the books and how the characters are still very intertwined across the series. Pastor Brown crops up in all but Kinsale Kisses and A Pinch of Promise. The Taste of Romance books start out with Jackson Trent who was a bit-player in the first three, as a house sitter for Kevin and apartment sitter for Lydia who then, in turn, ended up renting the house of Jason Garcia (the hero of Serenity to Accept). And it’s that same house where Jackson, Ben, and Zach – the three heroes of books one through three of the Taste of Romance series – still live.
And while Colin and Rachel (from Kinsale Kisses) were originally completely stand alone, Colin crops up in A Pinch of Promise, so we get to catch up a bit with him and Rach…I suspect we’ll be seeing a bit more of them in future books as well, now that I’ve realized who their friends are and how they intersect.
And maybe, just maybe, having realized that there’s more than just passing interest from the extended family, I’ll try to be a little better about making sure people I really know know about my books. (Although then I’m not sure what we’ll talk about at the next reunion. :) )
So, I’m curious – do you have something that’s become a major part of your life that your family thinks was just a passing hobby? I’d love to hear about it!
Elizabeth Maddrey is a semi-reformed computer geek and homeschooling mother of two who lives in the suburbs of Washington D.C. When she isn’t writing, Elizabeth is a voracious consumer of books. She loves to write about Christians who struggle through their lives, dealing with sin and receiving God’s grace on their way to their own romantic happily ever after.
You were in my neck of the woods. :) We’re in the Lexington area. It sounds like you had a wonderful family reunion!
Nice story, Elizabeth! Sounds like you are very blessed in an interested family. I think my family is surprised to hear about my participating in road races and triathlons, because I was a completely non-athletic, klutzy kid. As I’ve gotten older I’ve stuck with it, not to win, but for health and fun with friends.
My family always asks about my writing. They buy books when they can. I’ve got 6 books out in the world with 2 more coming soon. Your family sounds great. But I know what you mean when you say they didn’t realize you had all the books out. We do have to promote don’t we? Even within family. :) PS-I LOVE family reunions. Love them!
So I thought about that, Hallee – and I almost asked if you wanted to get coffee or something but then I thought maybe it’d be weird because, hello, random people from the Internet. :) But we even went to the Creation Museum and I thought of you again since you always have such fun pictures of your kiddos on the dinosaurs.
Oh, fun! I’m a completely non-athletic, klutzy adult whose allergic to sweat, so that’s not likely to ever become my thing, but I love to hear about people who enjoy it. I have an aunt who’s into extreme marathons (like 50 and 100 miles.)
:)
Family reunions are fun, but I’ll tell you, my little introvert soul was so happy to be home where I could find a place with no people in it and just sit in the quiet and be. Cause that many people in one place for several days…ugh. Draining.
That is really funny, Elizabeth. It’s hard to imagine that they had no clue.
As far as a passing hobby, beats me. I generally don’t do passing hobbies, I tend to put myself into what I do and it sticks. :) Even after six years of writing and not getting published, my friends and family still always asked about my writing. Now I have eight published books and ask when the next one is coming out. :) Got to love people like that.
Thanks for sharing. I enjoyed your post.
I need friends like yours! :) Though, to be fair, I tend to be quiet about…everything, so it’s not really all that surprising. Honestly, I’ve had people walk right past me and then I over hear them mention that there’s no one in the house. I just kind of fade into the furniture :)
Yes, my writing has always been a “hobby” until recent years. Family was always supportive and never demeaned it, but truth be told, it was a hobby until Kept released.
Honestly, Elizabeth, your extended family sounds amazingly supportive of your work! That’s so cool. Hope they love your books and spread the word far and wide. :)
Oh my goodness, Elizabeth. I’ve been there, but I’m sorry you have too.
Writing is a job for me. Tennis my hobby.
I sent an email early on to my side of the family (four sisters, nine nieces and nephews) and told them they would rarely hear about my writing unless they chose to sign up for my newsletter list, because THAT goes to people I know are interested. About 1/3 signed up. Hubby’s side of the family lives nearby and my MIL complains she can’t keep up with what I’m doing. Solution? Join the list! But she doesn’t want to!
They’re lovely folks, I admit! :)
It’ll be lovely to get to the point where my books make enough money to be considered a job rather than a hobby. :) But tennis is fun, too.
That’s effectively how I presented it, too. But yeah, I have a handful of people who’ve expressed enough interest that I keep them up to date personally rather than expecting them to keep up.
Loved this story, Elizabeth! Being about as introverted in real life as it’s possible to be without being a total hermit, I tend to keep quiet at family gatherings about what I do.
Book ten is impressive! For me, written about 14, but published only five so far. I have a lot of stories that may never be allowed to be read by anyone else. One of my writing buddies and I joke about the milk crate of shame – the box under the bed we hide all those early efforts in.
LOL, which shows how long I’ve been writing for, as it’s more likely to be the “Thumb Drive of Shame” now I rarely write longhand or print anything out!
You are very blessed to have ANY supportive family. My relatives say nice things but they don’t read my books. According to my sister, “It’s awkward!”
I love to go to gatherings and see family and friends and meet new people. But after a few hours, I am utterly exhausted and it takes a day or two to recover.
Congrats on book 10! I probably have 20 books on my pc which could be pubbed after a month or two of updating and editing (50 years of writing!). Instead, I keep writing new ones …
The series sounds interesting – love the titles. I will go now and pick up a copy of Joint Venture.
I have several of those stories on my hard drive, for sure! :) I think it’s part of being a writer – you just write, even when it’s terrible!
I can see how it might be awkward – I’ve definitely had a few moments (like the email I got asking which one of the characters was supposed to be me. Um…none of them? It really is fiction, I promise!)
Yay for 20 books! Go you! :) And I hope you enjoy Joint Venture! :)
I have always had an avid interest in genealogy, family history and reading but now I find that reviewing Christian fiction is taking up a lot of my time .
My granddaughter, who also is an avid reader has now started reviewing a different genre and she makes me proud.
Hi Elizabeth, Congrats on releasing ten books! I hope your family start catching up on reading your backlist :)
Only thing I can come up with (since I’m not a writer just a reader, lol) is that my family used to think my becoming a Christian was just a passing phase! Thankfully it’s not :-) I think they’ve learned that over the years & how it’s changed me for the better. Not that I was a bad person before, but in my whole attitude & life outlook. Since I live thousands of miles away, I do miss seeing them! Their all a bunch of quirky, fun-loving folks that you’d feel right at home with!!
Thanks, Narelle :)
Well I’m SO glad that being a Christian isn’t just a passing phase. I’m sorry you live so far away from family – that’s hard, especially when you get along with them. :)