I was thinking about firsts in author’s life because of something I’ll tell you about later on in this post. I was amazed at how many there are.

  There’s the first book that you can actually buy in a store that has your name on it. Actually, this had three names on it, but one of them was mine and I was thrilled.

 There were other Disney books but after a lot of hard work, there it was – the first book with my own characters – not someone else’s.

Then, there was my first middle grade book published. I didn’t know it would also be my first series. (Yes, this was the original cover.)

 If you’re lucky, there are the first starred reviews which I got for this book.

Each book has its own set of firsts. There’s the first time you see the cover, the first time you hold the book in your hands, the first review. Fingers crossed that it’s a good one- even if there are less flattering ones to come, you’ll have that in your pocket. (Whew, Humphrey’s were all positive.) It goes on and on. The first fan mail, the first award, the first time a book earns back its advance, the first school visit.

          I was thinking about this when I learned about author Bridget Zinn. I don’t know Bridget and I never will because though her debut novel, Poison, just came out this week, Bridget didn’t live to see this first. But she wrote it and and she sold it and she knew it would be published and that’s quite an accomplishment. If you haven’t done it, try it – it’s not as easy as it sounds. I haven’t read Poison yet but I’ve ordered it. Who can resist a 16 year old heroine who’s a specialist in poisons and potions and oh, yes, she has a pet pig. The pig sold me. And so did Bridget – you can read about her, see her and hear her on her website.   You’ll wish you knew her — and you can. One of the greatest thrills about having a book published is that it’s there, somewhere, on a shelf and it doesn’t go away. Eventually, you may not find it in a bookstore, but it’s still in a used bookstore, a library, on a shelf in a home – and ebooks will probably always be available. I’ve ordered the book because it sounds like a great read. And also because of Bridget. Why not see for yourself?