Fiction by Rachael Ritchey

Wow! Saturday’s Book Signing was quite an experience. One never knows what to expect from something she has never done. THANK YOU TO ALL MY FRIENDS, FAMILY, and NEW FRIENDS!

Here are a few things I learned:

1. Introverted people have to at least pretend to be extroverted. I‘m lucky because I live somewhere between the two ways of being. I am both energized and drained by social interaction.  But if you are like me, a Regular Joe(Josephina?) who nobody really knows, you have to be willing to smile at, talk to, and engage with other people. 
2. My friends and family are the coolest people ever! (I already knew this, but had to share anyway)
3. Book signings are the perfect place to meet other avid readers and lovers of books. I met some of the kindest people yesterday I otherwise probably never would have had opportunity with which to interact. I’m grateful!
4. I love talking about my writing! If you know me, you know how difficult it has been for me to talk about writing and my stories. I’m not sure if I have been fearful of rejection or being laughed off the face of the planet. Either way, it is silly of me. The Beauty Thief may not be an epiphany in the world of writing, but it is a good book! My stories have worth, and I hope they resonate with others the way they do with me. 
5. Having a big poster with a brief book description is a good idea. My 20 x 30 poster did a good job of drawing people’s attention, kind of like a movie poster. It also gave a easy way for people to read a short book blurb without feeling like they had to listen to me talk if they didn’t want to.
6. Candy is a good idea. I love sharing, and that was one thing I could share that most people wouldn’t say no to having. Usually they’d also take my little business card about The Beauty Thief, too. I appreciated the time they took to stop. 
7. Everybody has a voice and wants to be heard. A few kind people stopped by and expressed their love of the written word and a desire to write, too. I found myself desperately wanting to encourage them to follow their dreams, no matter where it lead, including writing. I have been blessed by the opportunity to follow my dream of writing and I would be crazy not to encourage others to do the same.
8. Sharing personal stuff from writing your book is okay! It was gratifying to know that bringing my artwork from the writing process resonated with some of my guests. I’m not a super talented artist, but my work is passable! 😉 I loved sharing the drawings I’d made and explaining why I’d done them. The MAP was the highlight, though. Many people, just like me, love a map. It helps me imagine without giving too much visual information. 🙂
9. It is always a good idea to wow the book store staff. They were so kind as to invite me back again. I’m incredibly humbled by the invitation! The assistant mgr who set everything up for me was so kind and brought me a large water to drink.Thank you Barnes & Noble at NorthTown Mall!
10. Make sure to ask for the day off from your “day job” ahead of time! I had some awesome coworkers who worked it out for me, but man, I was exhausted after everything was said and done! 🙂

Mostly, I’m humbled and thankful for the people who took time out of their Saturday to come see me! You totally made my day! Thank you, also, to all you new people I met who were kind enough to listen to me blather on about my books and even buy one! Wow! (The only thing that makes me sad is I didn’t get pictures with all the wonderful people who bought my book!) By taking the time and spending the money, my friends, you’ve reminded me how very much I want to do my best for you. My great-grandma was right, nothing’s worth doing unless you do your best. Have a great week!

And in case you are interested,

I have another Book Signing with Barnes & Noble at the Spokane Valley location coming up on Saturday, May 16th, 2015 from 11 AM to 2 PM.

I hope to see you there!

(If you bought my book and you’ll be in the area, I’d love a photo with you then! It would mean a lot to me. 🙂 )

PS If I posted your picture here and you want me to remove it, please email me at writingraci@gmail.com