When I was younger, I did not know how to become an author just that I wanted to be. Years passed and I grew weary. I enrolled in university and got myself engaged in activities. It was 2017, I think, when I started getting these real-like dreams. One such nightmare prompted me to pen down my first novelette, Sheba’s Room. When I began writing I never thought that a nightmare would turn into words that I compose into a book. Hence, the odyssey of my first book developed.
Then began my ordeal to publish it. No publishing house was ready to publish it. I tried several times but to no avail. Years later, in 2021, one publishing house by the name of Worthy publication picked it up for publication. I was happy. Soon hours turned to days, days turned to weeks and weeks turned to months and I heard nothing from Worthy Publication. We were just at the time of COVID-19 and my country had gone into full lockdown overdrive. Eventually, the following year I received a call from editor Raidah Ahmed regarding my book. It was decided that my book would get published within a few weeks the following year.
So, I waited. But that promise turned into the first quarter of the year when finally it was to be published. The night before my launch my editor called me up for some corrections that could be done to the book. So, we stayed up the whole night and worked on the book over a call. The next morning I was drowsy from sleep deprivation. I reached a coffee house with the rest of my family for the launch of my book.
My family was enthralled to see that I was about to become a published author. After an hour of light talk we departed for home. When we reached our house, my parents quickly each took a book and started reading. They seemed amazed at how secretly I had turned into an author. My mother smiled and simply said, “Next time inform us if you’re going to publish something so that we are not taken aback.” My father said, “Well done.” My younger brother was just as cynical as he usually is. I took their comments as well wishes and patted myself on the back for what I had achieved so far.
I was hopeful that my book was going to do well but two years in and only three copies sold I no longer feel that well spirited about myself. Just that I’m hopeful that my book would pick up with readers in the future.
