Book Launch Party

Yesterday was the day. All that hype and preparation. All of my spouse’s work and angst. All my excitement and expectation. And it was over in an instant. Days and days of anticipation for two hours of glory. Two hours of celebrating with friends who showed their support by filling the venue. 

I was anxious in the morning. I always am when it comes to social events. The fact that it was for me was not at all a mitigating factor. You would think that since I make a living by standing in front of people and talking it would come easy to me, but it doesn’t. Mingling with people has always been hard. Public speaking is a challenge–always. Although reading to people who showed up to hear me share excerpts from my book was immensely enjoyable, and certainly more rewarding than delivering lessons. But I am getting ahead of myself.

My spouse had been doing research and planning the launch for months. She designed bookmarks on Canva and sent them out to get printed—500 because…well, why not? She designed stickers with my owl (Old Wise Lesbian) logo, as well as business cards to make me appear professional. Since my book is about life during COVID she made stickers to resemble my book cover and put them on tiny bottles of hand sanitizer to hand out. The preparation and attention to detail was time-consuming, but the products all came out amazing.

In the weeks leading up to the launch, she designed signs to advertise not only my book but me as an author, highlighting the fact that while Stolen: Love and Loss in the Time of COVID-19 may be my first book, I have been publishing essays and short stories for a decade. Like the give-aways, the signs looked incredible, and highlighted why you—and those in attendance—should read the book. 

The display table demonstrated not only Kati’s extreme attention to detail, it also illustrated her ability to make things appear aesthetically pleasing. She set up a black backdrop and draped strands of pretty red and gray fabric (the colors of my bookcover) from it. She directed my son to set up a display of books in a spiral and also had books lined up to sell. Since my logo is an owl, she bought beautiful owl bookends that accented the display table. Bookmarks, stickers, and hand sanitizer were set out for guests to take, as were Milky Ways, which my son insisted we have since they were my dad’s favorite candy. 

Also, a few years ago, my son worked on the Family Life Merit Badge in Boy Scouts and one requirement instructed scouts to complete a family project. Since G3 was working on it shortly after my dad died, he decided to make a memory book about his grandfather. He asked friends and family to give him quotes or stories, anything really, they remembered about Dad. These he arranged in the memory book along with some of his favorite pictures. He insisted that we bring the memory book and display that on the table as well, so that guests could leaf through it and get a sense of who dad was. 

G3 was in charge of all things that required technology. He set my phone up to play the playlist my publisher asked me to put together to represent my book. The songs were a compilation of Dad’s favorites, songs that reminded my family of him, and songs that were mentioned in my memoir. My son also set up my phone to go live on TikTok when I did the reading, something I hadn’t anticipated, or I would have told my followers to stay-tuned and be ready.

We hosted the launch party at a local pizza place. It wasn’t exactly cheap, but it was cheaper than any place else we looked at. Plus, the location was convenient and there was a decent amount of parking. Since we were hosting it in a restaurant, it made getting food easy. We just needed to select what we wanted from the catering menu. Of course we also brought wine, which my spouse insisted was a must, along with fruit platters. Friday night, the night before the launch, I made a crumb cake using dad’s recipe to serve as dessert. 

My fear was that no one would show up. Kati promised me that wouldn’t happen. That people would want to be there to support me, and she was absolutely right. I was actually blown away and touched by how many people did come. I would have loved for my mom to be there, and she would have liked to have been there, but she lives in New York City and doesn’t drive. However, friends from all different parts of my life came: former colleagues, writing friends, friends from graduate school, a friend I met nearly thirty years ago in Korea, former neighbors, family who have been reading my work online for years, friends I met years ago at a church I used to attend, fellow bookies from my book club, a couple of Boy Scout leaders, and—most surprising and heartwearming—new colleagues, people I’ve only known for a few weeks. I’m not sure I’ve ever felt such an outpouring of love and support.

The first forty-five minutes or so the guests arrived and mingled. They ate food, drank wine, and I walked around greeting everyone and thanking them for coming. There was a time in my life when I wasn’t much of a hugger, but apparently that has changed over the years, and Saturday, I certainly set a personal record when it came to hugging. 

I had spent years dreaming about reading my work to others. Standing before an audience and sharing my writing with people who actually cared to listen. Despite this—for years seemingly-unattainable—dream, I was still exceptionally anxious about getting up and being the center of attention. Kati introduced me. And what an extremely complimentary and flattering introduction it was. She highlighted the fact that Stolen was not self published, and then, she went on to read some of the favorable reviews my book has received. 

As soon as I started to read, my nerves melted away. Some of the passages were sad. Not surprising since the book is about Dad’s death and the grief that followed. But other excerpts were comical and I smiled to hear people chuckle as I recounted happier times with Dad. After the reading, I signed books. Something else that had induced a bit of anxiety until Kati told me she brought post-it notes. I know I’m a writer and an English teacher, which means the expectation is that I know how to spell. The expectation could not be more wrong, and my fear was that I’d spell people’s names wrong. Of course, the more anxious I get, the more apt I am to make mistakes. But Kati brought the post-its so people could write their names and then all I had to do was copy them. That I could do. I think. At least, I hope I didn’t have any spelling errors, but I can’t guarantee it.

The day was perfect—or close to perfect. I wish my dad had lived to see my success, and I wish my mom could have gotten to New Jersey. But in different ways, I know they were both with me in spirit. Even though the launch is over, my book is out there in the world waiting for you to read it. I am trying to find other locations to do readings. Hopefully, I’ll find interested bookstores, libraries, or other venues. If I do, I’ll be sure to let you know.