I am lucky… in a lot of ways, many of which I’ve talked about here, but today I’m going to tell you that I am lucky to be a mildly professional book talker.

Before I became what I am today, I was an enthusiastic amateur book talker, and then I went to school and became an educated book talker (able to use key words and tricky phrases like Proustian, liminal spaces, and bathos with aplomb), and now I get to stand in my classroom a few times a week and act as an educational book talker.

I get to come here, to my blog, and talk about books and all sorts of other stuff. I get to write reviews and go on other people’s blogs and gush about the books I’ve enjoyed recently and give other authors a little boost in the process.

I get to go to Bantry, way out on the wild Atlantic coast of Ireland, and talk about books there – with the people who wrote the books!

And it’s amazing.

I love having the opportunity, the true and unmistakable privilege of doing that. Of having these conversations and connections with authors and enthusiasts all around the world.

Then, sometimes, marvelously, I get the opportunity to talk about my own books.

Now all authors have to learn to talk about their own books at some point. Maybe in a writing group or a workshop, or even with their families and friends. Eventually, they might have to learn to talk about it with prospective agents, publishers, editors and cover designers.

Then, when you wade through all that, you talk for publicity. You ask people to read your book, to review it, to buy it, and the line between talking and begging starts to feel fuzzy, draining. It feels less and less natural, like talking at someone rather than with them.

There’s a whole world of entertainment out there, and getting people to take a few quiet hours to read your book, or even a few quiet minutes to consider your book, can be difficult.

And you get tired.

Or, at least, I got tired.

And once the excitement of having a freshly published masterpiece out in the world wore off a little, and the I just… kinda… stopped.

But, I’ve been lucky all my life, and in this, I got lucky too. I’ve got a friend who pushes.

I’ve actually got several friends who push in a variety of ways, all of which I need, but in this case, a fellow author told me about a podcast. About these two lovely chaps who interviewed her in the wake of her first novel coming out, and how much she enjoyed them, and that I should get in touch…

and I put it off…

and I put it off…

and she asked again…

and I put it off…

and she asked again…

and I sent them an email and got a prompt and friendly response…

that I in turn didn’t answer for over a week because (you’ve heard this one)…

I put it off.

Because as much as I like talking about Heretic, who wants to hears about a book that’s almost two years old? Who wants to hear from an author who hasn’t managed to crank out a sequel in that much time?

But I did it anyway, because I knew I needed it. Because interviews require practice and practicing from the comfort of my own home, while wearing fuzzy green pajama pants just off camera probably is about as laid back as practice is going to get.

And because I’m a mildly professional book talker.

Sometimes I need to be reminded of that.

Chase thunder,

JdB

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Huge thank you to Terry and Steven as Greenhills Chats for a truly lovely interview. It’s been a while since I talked about Heretic like this, and you guys really made it easy. Check out their YouTube channel here or find them on Twitter @GreenhillsChats, and if you are interested in Heretic, you can find it here.

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