The Ironies of Support

The Ironies of Support

 

After the publication of each of my three books, I’ve noticed a pattern of support that is sufficiently remarkable to note with the thought that the experience of other authors may be similar or quite different.

 

After garnering reviews from professional critics and after making media appearances via print interviews, blog posts, or radio shows comes the critical third phase of promotion—word of mouth. Here, one might reasonably expect support from friends and family members. I have been surprised to learn that this doesn’t happen as automatically as I might have expected.

 

As I noted in my “unauthorized” autobiography, Wet Firecrackers, many friends and family members have me boxed into the category of lawyer, a person of considerable wealth and power. As long as I functioned squarely within that sphere, my every word was hung upon and there was no wish that was not freely granted in the rational expectation that a quid pro quo would be forthcoming in return sooner or later.

 

I jumped out of that box at the earliest opportunity, retiring at 60 and taking up new pursuits—first in playwriting, then in writing non-fiction books, and finally with the publication of my debut novel, Slipping on Stardust.

 

My current status as a struggling writer/teacher in an obscure town in Brazil brings to mind the blues classic, Nobody Loves You When You’re Down and Out. It’s hardly that bad, but eerily close.

 

On the acknowledgment page of this book, I note that I have very few to thank, but the few that I do are very dear. What I was tempted to add, but didn’t, was that I’ve never met any of these “dears.” Isn’t that strange?

 

The “heads” side of this coin is the support I’ve received from the most unlikely, and as I said, universally unmet sources:

 

• A New Jersey associate professor of Journalism and Creative Writing, who is using my books in his classes. Never met the guy, but e-meeting him late in life makes longevity worth achieving.
• A beautiful retiree living in Brazil, whose second language is English and who was introduced to me by close New York friends who didn’t themselves buy the novel even though I had given previous works to them as gifts.
• A tenor I’ve never met who remembered my attendance at a concert, conducted by my brother, who himself has never read any of my books. The tenor bought three copies.
• A writer whose own book I gave a very mixed review on Bookpleasures.com. If that isn’t impartiality, I don’t know what is.
• My many fellow authors published by Secret/Sweet Cravings Publishing who have been incredibly generous in giving me access to their impressive sites on the internet.

 

I will never forget the support I’ve received from these wondrous strangers. And, being a Scorpio, I will probably also never forget the passive-aggressive treatment I’ve received at the hands of many close by, whose every venture I’ve supported with genuine enthusiasm.

 

Sorry if this sounds like whining. It probably is. But acknowledging the existence of a wound is probably the first step in healing it.

 

As noted above, I’d welcome hearing about other authors’ experiences on the subject of support.