When Mom Read My Book

Today is my mother’s 83rd birthday. It occurred to me recently that I don’t talk about my mother much here on the blog. If I’m talking about a parent, it tends to be my father. That might be because I’m in the throes of things with my mother, but I have the benefit of distance with my father.

But I don’t want you to think that I don’t love her, because I do. And I don’t want you to think that she’s not an important part of my life, because she is.

Mom is a huge reader, and when I was writing my book I knew that she would want to read it if it ever got published. The thought made me choke a little bit – I couldn’t go some of the places the characters were taking me because I kept picturing my mother reading it later. I mean, my book isn’t erotica or anything, but I was still shy about having my mother read sex scenes I’d written. It was a real problem until I metaphorically stuck my fingers in my ears, closed my eyes, and pretended nobody else would ever see it but me.

Then my book got accepted by Carina Press. Hooray! Then my book came out and was available for sale. Hooray! And Mom wanted to read it. Ummm…. well…. okay….

I thought I was safe because it was an digital book and she doesn’t have an e-reader. I made various excuses not to lend her my Kindle (well you know, Mom, I use my Kindle ALL the time...). I knew she wouldn’t want to listen to the audio book. Safety!

Until one of her neighbors, who has a Kindle, told her that she had bought my book and liked it. She asked Mom if she wanted to borrow the Kindle and read it. And Mom, of course, said yes.

Here’s the conversation we had when she told me she was going to read my book-

Me: You know, Mom, there’s pretty much cursing in there.

Mom: Oh, I know curse words.

Me: And you know, there are, um, sex scenes.

Mom: Oh, I know sex.

AACK!!! TMI!

So, Mom read the book and she really liked it. Well, that’s what she told me anyway. It happened that when she finished, I was a little down because I’d just gotten a rather nasty 1 star review on Audible. She said, “well I liked it. I would give it 5 stars. Okay, maybe 4 and a half.”

Thanks Mom! LOL

Ironically, she really liked the sex scenes. I’m glad she wasn’t bothered by them, although it does disturb me in a part of my soul I will not acknowledge to know that my mother enjoyed sex scenes I wrote. She didn’t especially like the foul potty-mouth language, but I warned her so she only has herself to blame there.

And the advantage of the whole thing is that I’m not nearly so shy about writing whatever happens in the story now. I figure I’ve gotten the worst out of the way.

She still doesn’t have an e-reader, but when HOLD ME gets printed for the direct to consumer program I’ll be able to give her a print copy of the book for her own. I’ll even autograph it for her.

Dear Mom,

Thanks for everything.

Love, Betsy

Happy Birthday, Mom!