I know it may not seem like it with all of the Ophelia, Doll promoting that I’ve been doing, but asking for help is a terribly difficult thing for me to do. In part, it made the overwhelmingly positive responses and preorders I received that much more meaningful. I wrote the book, but you guys are responsible for having kept me in the running with this contest. You’ve done that. Nothing I’ve said or done has forced your hand- it was a conscious decision that you made to help me. Maybe you did it because you know me and want to see me succeed. A lot of you are strangers to me and have added your wind to my sails simply because someone else who is close to me asked you to. For one reason or another though, each of you has decided to follow me on Inkshares/Facebook, preorder a copy of my book, comment/review the chapters I’ve posted, and/or asked other people to aid my cause and it means the world to me.
I’ve spent a lot of time pondering why it is that anyone else should care about my dreams. Every other author in this contest could make the same claim. I don’t believe that anybody sets out to write a book if they don’t feel a strong, intense passion to do it- and they would certainly not cross the finish line without that drive. Even writing a terrible book would take a commendable effort!
However, from what I’ve seen of my competition, the stories being shared through this contest are all worthy of admiration and respect. So I’ve wondered- how can I hope to gain any real momentum with complete strangers (as I’ve come to believe is what’s required to win this competition) when every single author has just as much heart put into their work as I have? If everyone has an equally valuable story of struggle and triumph that has led them to this point, how can I hope to do anything that will stand out?
It’s not a question that I readily have the answer to. The best I’ve come up with is that I need to share my heart with you, as pretentious as that sounds. I’m operating under the hope that if I expose the raw nerves and emotional turbulence of my journey, that it will resonate with enough of you that you’ll do me an even bigger favor than what you’ve already done: I need you to share this with anyone who you think might listen and ask them genuinely for their support.
Today I was feeling pretty lost, having tried to reach beyond my immediate social media connections in order to expand my promotional efforts- so I went back to the drawing board and did what came naturally: I wrote. I didn’t know where I was headed when I started, but I ended up talking pretty openly about the paradoxical relationship I’ve formed with PTSD. On the one hand, it has made the process of promoting my book seem insurmountable. On the other hand, I truly believe that I wouldn’t have finished Ophelia, Doll, a book that I am wholly proud to have written, without the forcefully abrupt, screeching halt that PTSD brought into my life. I hope that you will take the time to read this post that goes into my personal story with greater detail:
http://canyouholdasecret.blogspot.com/2015/08/by-pricking-of-my-thumbs.html
If you have any ideas that might be helpful or feel like you have access to some means of helping me further the reach of my promotional efforts, please don’t hesitate to share your thoughts. Your comments, reviews, feedback and own personal stories are all much appreciated and make up most of what’s helped me maintain a loose grasp on sanity over the course of this crazy experience.
Again, thank you all for everything you have done to keep me in the running- I appreciate each and every one of you.
Yours Truly,
Robert Wren