At the desk, 8:54 a.m. (yes, I've been here a while doing this and that)
"There's something about these books..." My husband's office mate was holding two of the Alex the Fey books in his hand. "It's like they make you change. No, not make you change... maybe want to be a better person... no... I can't really describe it."
You see, he had to work all weekend and, in need of a break, he found the books on my husband's shelf. Since they regularly trade books back and forth, he started the Fey and read straight through.
Now, I'm not writing this to tell you I WRITE THE BEST SERIES IN THE ENTIRE UNIVERSE. Because I assume you knew that. ;) (hee, hee)
I thought I'd let you in on a little secret.
Everyone who works on this series experiences major life change either before, during, or after the work. It's weird, and frankly, often leads to some dysfunction. You see, people who had lots and lots of time suddenly have no time at all because their lives have experienced some earthquake like shift. More than one editor has received that phone call for that perfect job just after they started editing the book. A proofreader met the love of her life, man of her dreams, in the middle of working on the book. The web tech was suddenly inundated with work. The guy who swore he'd never ever ever get married again decided to ask a friend on a date and is now married.The guy who was on our original team (the solid, steady publishing guy) had this non-profit venture fall on his head. He left a track he'd invested a lot of time, money, and ego into to start this venture and wham, he's passionate, engaged, involved, and happy. Those are just the folks I can remember off the top of my head.
I mean, it's not just my imagination. This shit is real.
And it doesn't have anything, not one thing, to do with me.
There's just something about these books that acts to shift people from their stuck comfort zone into the lives they long for. I don't know how it works. I don't know why it works. And again, I'm only confident it doesn't have anything to do with me.
I think that's why the series garners a kind of rage in people. Last year's bullying and it's overflow onto the Amazon reviews of the Fey are an example. That sense of shine, the heat of the catalyst bring out some people's inner pitchfork. They want to pile up the ideas, light a match, and dance in the light of the pyre. At this point, it just seems like this is going to be a fact of life. (I've wondered if J.K. Rowling came up with the Petronus charm as an idea to shield her from the pitchfork welders in her world.)
So, if I ever ask you to help with the books, you'd better be cautious. No one's died, that's true. But you may need to be prepared for the chaos of getting what you want.
Lucky you?
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