June 23 - The Craziness of June

Whirlwind.

That’s what June was for us. An absolute whirlwind.

From the final rush to get the book ready for the release, release day, our first event. There was so much to do and be done. Time flew. Thinking back on it, it all feels kind of surreal. We’ve done it. It’s done. The book we have spent the last two years of our life writing, the world we have created and the characters we have connected with so deeply are now out in the world for others to read and hopefully enjoy and love as much as we do. But there is always the fear, the anxiety, that nobody will be able to connect with our work, with our world. That it will be criticised and torn apart and ridiculed.

We can say, however, that so far, so good! We have been completely blown away by the support we have received.

Our first event was an astounding success. We were absolutely amazed by the turnout to our meet and greet/signing. We are so thankful to the Rhondda Arts Festival Treorchy (RAFT) for allowing us to be a part of the event. 

The days leading up to the event were filled with a mixture of nerves and anticipation. Worrying about the little things, and the big things. Table clothes, the table display, THE BOOKS! Something special for all those who came to support us. What were we going to say, what did we talk about? What would people want to know? Were we going to read extracts from the book? Would people even want to hear us read? What were we going to read? Were people going to come? Of course people would come, our families would be there at least. WHAT WOULD WE WEAR?

The night prior we cut and hand stamped many a bookmark with our personalised wax seal, and packed everything nice and neatly into a basket and a box, ready for the morning.

The day of, came about oh so quickly. The anticipation ensured we woke early, leaving plenty of time to prepare and stress about the day to come. We packed the car and drove to the library and stressed about a wardrobe malfunction.

We arrived. Walking into the library that held so many memories for us and seeing how much it had changed in the time since we had last walked its interior was both humbling and reassuring. It was like stepping into the embrace of an old friend and mentor.

The table was soon set and chairs placed around. The low hum of music playing comforting sounds from the lands of Middle Earth and Narnia and The Seven Kingdoms, floated in the background.

Then it began. It started with dribs and drabs, but these dribs and drabs were not people we knew. These were strangers, come to hear us talk, to learn about us and the book. It was incredible. These people who didn’t know us, wanted to. They wanted to hear our voices and read our story! The drizzle soon became a flood. We needed more chairs…

Our two hours were up in a blur. 

We talked and talked, answering the questions that came thick and fast. We read and talked some more. We signed books, sold books, handed out the bookmarks we had made. WE SOLD OUT! AND TOOK ORDERS FOR MORE!

Our local MP came to show his support, buying a signed copy and we were so honoured to have friends, new and old, be there.

All packed up and floating on a high afterwards, we wandered the festivals ourselves to show our support to other local artists and enjoy a celebratory drink as we tried to wind down from the excitement. But the excitement did not end there! We received congratulations and gave thanks to the event organisers and were once more humbled and honoured to be asked to read from our book to another audience. This time on a stage. With a microphone.

It still feels like a dream, and we cannot wait to do it all again!