My book has arrived and it’s not face cream!
27 November 2018 2021-06-16 0:00My book has arrived and it’s not face cream!
Susan Sohn 
The last 24 hours have been a whirlwind, and many of you have watched the video of me seeing my books for the first time. I’m still pinching myself. I actually can’t believe they are here. I can’t believe I’m a published author. And I can’t believe that I mistook a package that I thought were my books for face cream!
After that video was shot, I did my first radio interview about the book. I’m not even really sure what I said in that interview. I sincerely hope it was sensical. I guess I’ll have to wait until it airs and listen to it to determine my state of mind.
Here’s what was funny about the book and its arrival.
Leading up to this week, I had been slightly stressed about it arriving from publisher in the US, and Caitlin (my assistant) and I were getting anxious. We had been asking for tracking numbers, dates, etc., trying to figure out if the book was going to be here for our launch. Caitlin was not going to let us have a book launch without physical copies of the book. I love her tenacity. However, I had reconciled in my mind that maybe we wouldn’t have the books on hand and I’d have to go ahead with the launch with a print out of the cover.
Not ideal at all.
I decided after collecting the mail that day and discovering another notice of a parcel in the post that I would send my son down to collect whatever had arrived. My thinking was it was his shorts we’d ordered and been waiting for. Additionally, I had another postal notice of a parcel that had been sitting on my kitchen bench since last Thursday. I had made the assumption that that notice was for the face cream that I had ordered.
Gabriel arrived home from school, and I sent him to the post office with both of the notices in hand. I went about my work, a little excited for my face cream because it is working a treat. I’m noticing a difference, and my current one is almost out.
To my surprise, Gabriel arrived home with two rather large boxes which definitely weren’t holding face cream. Written on the top of the box was the word AUTHOR. What I thought was my blooming face cream that had been sitting at the post office, waiting for pick up WAS MY BOOKS.
Who would have known?
If I had I left that notice on my bench for one more day, my books could have been ‘returned to sender!’
All of that to say, they arrived safe and sound, and I got to hold one in my hand. I can’t really explain the emotion I felt (well you can probably see in the video haha). When picking it up, I realised that the stories that are shared throughout the pages are those of real people, people who bravely shared their truth to help others. I hold every story close to my heart. I will be forever grateful to have had the opportunity to meet such incredible women on this writing journey. May they always know who they are.
Another moment of surprise came when my girlfriend came over to see the book and to buy the first copy. She asked me to sign the book, and with a shaky hand, I wrote on the inside. It was a surreal moment. Then as she began to read, she asked for a pen. I wasn’t sure what she needed it for so I watched, and to my amazement, she began to underline words in MY book.
I have always been a reader and a lover of words, constantly mesmerised by the sentences that authors put to paper. I have always marvelled at the ones that I underline and highlight. I highlight them because I’m curious about the thinking that went behind the words that have stood out to me. To see one of my friends underline words that I have written was one of the craziest moments for me. I quickly rushed over to see what stood out to her and asked her why and what it meant, etc.
Yesterday was a dream come true, the words that have danced around in my head have finally made their way to paper. They have even jumped out from that paper and landed on the heart of a friend.
Now I exhale.
