Word of warning: I am struggling with an annoying headache as I write this. Possible incoherence ahead.
Oh who am I kidding? I could be incoherent without this headache.
My very first blog tour for Paper Planes Back Home officially began last Saturday (October 24), and I’m having mixed feelings about it. For one, the reviewers have so far been very generous (thank you so much!), which makes me even more excited and anxious to read the rest. Secondly, I did this interview with author Chi Rodriguez yesterday, and one of her questions reminded me of a certain second-hand sadness I thought I’d forgotten. I know I have another Q&A coming up but I’m not sure how that’d go . . . so I’m just going to brace myself for it. And the rest of the reviews the book will be getting by the end of the week, of course.
When I started writing Paper Planes Back Home in 2013, it never occurred to me that it’d go this far. This meaning making it available on Amazon, getting it printed in pretty paperback, and asking people to read it in exchange of an honest review. I didn’t think then that I was ready for something like this, and I can’t say that’s changed either. I can’t confidently say “I’m ready!” to receive praise or criticism for the work I’ve done, but went through with it anyway because I wanted to learn how to be.
Because aside from the technical aspect of writing, I also wanted to learn how to accept the bad with the good, and to see my work through another person’s perspective. Writing fiction is something I’ve wanted to do (and have been doing) for a long time, and now that I’m finding more opportunities, more targeted readership, it makes me want to hone my craft even more. It’s a journey to self-improvement, and for the enjoyment of readers who are now looking forward to getting their hands on my future work.
