Red Beans and Advice for Monday, April 24

How to support your favorite authors

Would know that we were heroes in our own hometown
Nothing less than heroes in that old hometown
We still loved a hero in our own hometown
Baby you could be a hero in your own hometown

— Mary Chaplin Carpenter

Every author loves praise. It’s undeniable. We spent anywhere from six months to multiple years working on our books, then send them into the world fearing for their reception.

Okay, I’m sure there are authors much braver than I am who watch their books go on sale and turn a deaf ear to the reaction. But, I like to know that my books informed readers and were useful in some way, even if they took issue with the subject matter.

The most sensitive reactions come from the people where you live and with whom you interact. No matter how tough your exterior, inside you may long to be a hero in your hometown, as Mary Chapin Carpenter sings.

I experienced that this weekend when Satisfaction Guaranteed was honored as a Michigan Notable book. The Library of Michigan chooses 20 each year, out of about 250 to 300 titles. The books must have a Michigan theme or be by a writer from Michigan.

People who have received the award told me it was a fun event, and it was definitely a highlight of my past year. It reminded me of what authors, beginners and veterans, pine for: appreciation.