Allaboutwriting

Lisa-Anne Julien talks about the joy of her first traditionally published book.

I respect the age of technology, I really do.  I know the invention of e-books and their readers have made reading funkier for many people.  But for me, there’s something about the smell of the pages of a new book that’s just intoxicating.  Old books too.  They evoke a scent of history and sense of nostalgia I just can’t find on a screen that scrolls down with a mere touch.

So yes, I like holding books, caressing them, feeling the tangible product of what was likely countless days of blood, sweat and literary tantrums.

I like holding books, particularly when it’s my own.

Oh I know, it’s all well and good to get a contract with a publisher, orphan my kids for the period it takes to craft this work of art (or pile of shit depending on the day) and finally submit the manuscript.  It’s great to have straddled the chasmthat lies between writing a book as a passionate expression of one’s artistic being, and delivering a product to a publisher as part of the business deal.

I survived those heated internal monologues every time my editor asked for the next chapter and I had to scream (internally let me say) “this is a creative journey, you don’t just write this stuff!”

And yes, I believed the publisher when after reviewing it she said she loved it, and that it was a romance novel for intelligent people.

I was even more convinced when I heard they were having a meeting with the graphic designers to discuss the cover art.

But here’s the thing, until your book is actually in your hands, there’s an element of doubt that the words would ever see the light of day.  In my case it wasn’t the publisher’s ability to pull it off that worried me.  It was the possibility that despite all the anthems we chant to ourselves about the fact that one day we will be published, that sneaky little devil of a mind taunts you into believing it will never happen.

So it only felt real once I held my book in my hand.

I remember that day well.  I was at a book launch (no, not mine, let’s not get ambitious here).  My publisher, Moky Makura of Nollybooks, wrote her book and was having a fabulous launch with equally fabulous finger food at the GIBS.  It was her night.  She spoke.  She signed.  She collected money.  I was happy for her.

But nothing could compare to the moment she handed me a brown parcel.  In some sort of cloak-and-dagger moment I crept down to the basement where my car was parked, sat down, locked the doors and gently opened the parcel.  The book was small, petite you could say, but elegant and tasteful.

The cover of  More than Friends? stared back at me.

My name was on the inside but I didn’t care.  I flipped through its pages, smellling the air as it flew past my nose.  I searched for paragraphs and phrases I was proud of, those I had struggled with, and frowned at the ones I should have abandoned.  Oh yes, at that point you’re permitted to indulge in all the pretend self-deprecation you can muster up.  All in all, I was happy, proud.

No more dreaming.   

Lisa-Anne Julien was born and grew up in Caribbean twin-island of Trinidad and Tobago.  Lisa was one of 10 finalists for the 2008 Women & Home Magazine South Africa short story competition and in November 2008 she was selected as a winner in the “Highly Commended” category of the International Commonwealth Short Story competition of that year. In 2010 she was a finalist in the Potbake Caribbean Short Story competition where her story was published in the anthology “Across the Caribbean”.  That same year, her first book, More than Friends? a romance novel, was published by Nollybooks.

Nollybooks  is a series of easy-to-read, chic-lit romance fiction titles with South African storylines and characters that reflect the lives and aspirations of the people who will read them. The novels are aimed at young African women and are a blend of  Chick Lit  and Romance.