Serendipity

Serendipity. I love that word.

However, it did not apply to all that transpired this week.

At the end of June I had placed an order for another two cases of Double Vision books. I didn't have a signing that I needed to bring my own books to until the end of July, so I figured there was plenty of time for them to arrive. No frantic rush jobs, no biting my nails and fretting something terrible wondering if the books would arrive in time. Each of the bookstores I was scheduled to have signings at were placing their own orders, so all was good.

Pfffttt! That idyllic world was thrown into chaos, as one by one, the bookstore last week and then this week weren't going to receive their books in time. It now fell on my shoulders to provide copies of Double Vision if I wanted to have my latest book in front of me to sell at the signings.

Normally, this wouldn't have been a problem, but the 50 books I had ordered two months ago had dwindled to a mere 7 and I still hadn't received my order from June!

I brought the 7 with me to the signing last week, and since there are people out there who haven't read the first two books in the trilogy, that amount sufficed for the day.

When I called my publisher to find out why it was taking so long to get my shipment to me, he found a slight problem. He hadn't even sent the order to the printer yet!

I called the bookstores in my area to see if I could borrow some to take with me, but they were only down to a few of their own and couldn't spare them. Dammit! They're selling too well!!!!!

Now the nail biting and fretting over whether I'd have books for the upcoming signing commenced. Big time! Rush jobs, special shipping, tracking the shipment when it finally did get printed, only to learn that the books wouldn't arrive until Monday. A bit late for the signing.

What do you do? Aside from swearing a blue streak (something I'm VERY good at!), you learn that you're not the only author this has ever happened to. I can now say I'm in a very select group of world-class writers who've had to work around these nuisance snafus, and take orders with a promise of delivering their book personalized and signed just as soon as possible.

So, when I arrived with just a proof copy of Double Vision in my hand for this morning's signing, the owner of the bookstore was a bit upset, but shrugged and said that it wasn't the first time, and that we'd work around it, just as I described.

I set up my table with plenty of copies of Eyes of Garnet and Sightless, and the lone proof copy of Double Vision with a skewed cover.

Then the most amazing thing happened.

Nothing!!

I sold one book right off, then barely a soul walked into the store. I sat there for an hour and spoke to one person. All that anxiety during the week for naught.

There's a lesson here. Worrying does nothing but shrink your nail length, turn your hair gray, and put you in a snarly mood. I really need to start taking my own advise and stroll through life with the intent that it will all work out in the end. Whether you fret or go through without a care, trust that everything happens for a reason, and normally, it's for the best.