Team Taste the Rainbow Hop – Check Point

we are getting closer to the end but I still have a little more in me, lol. Again we thanks Draven St James for organising this event and a shot out to Loose ld, congratulating them on 10 years in business.

The Community with Live In

Or, in this case the on line one.

I was not a fan of facebook when it first came out. I didn’t like the idea of it, and quite honestly, I wasn’t really in a point in my life that I had any interest in what people had to say, anytime.

By the time I became an author my mind hadn’t changed much. I still wasn’t a fan. So I started twitter, before I went on facebook (ok, I put up a page, because of reasons, but that isn’t really the same thing) and it worked for me. I enjoyed it a bit, mostly I think because I could say whatever I wanted and no one gave a shit, hell, I still haven’t hit the 200 mark on people following me on twitter (not even sure I’m following that many yet).

I ended up opening a facebook account because I wanted to follow authors and I didn’t want my ‘real life’ facebook to connect to my author one. And everything exploded. It was like stepping into a room and having people I didn’t know welcoming me as if I was meant there.

I started chatting, the thing I dreaded so much before because I’ve never been good at spelling outside of spell check, and I meet people. I found a small corner to settle in with a small group, and there people where in larger groups, they’d swing by and they’d be as welcoming as everyone else.

Now, I’m not saying there aren’t people who will ruin you for nothing. I’m not saying everyone is nice, but my experiences in this first couple of months as an author have been incredible.

I have had awesome times on facebook. Talked to people I would never have met any other way. I have been given advice. I’ve been given encouragement, and I have talked to people, helped as other have helped me (at least I hope I did).

I have had some of the greatest “author” moments on facebook, because I have had fans talk to me, telling me how much they liked my books, and then just took a large chunk of time out of their lives to get to know me, even when they didn’t have too.

It’s one of those points, I guess, that faecbook was made for, to connect with people who love the same things as you, and I have been so happy to find that, to be involved with that.

I will say one thing though, you have to show yourself to be seen, and you need to be open to connecting if you wish to connect. a lot of mine has actually been from the reader side of me, not the author—I’m too new for anyone to know who I am on that half, and I’m not good at promoting myself. not good at screaming I’m an author, or even whispering it into people ears, lol.

I’m not really sure if this is a point, but quite honestly I did my love is love at the beginning of the week and that’s probably enough. But my whole idea of community, of love and happiness and encouragement has come around again in with group of people I have connected with on facebook, and I’m grateful every time I get distracted by the shiny, and have a moment to talk books with some really wonderful people.

I have learnt to cherish what I have. Be grateful for my life, and for my loved ones, and more so of their unquestionable acceptance, because not everyone has that.

I have become more accepting of a genre, of a group of people, I had no problem with before, but this time I’m seeing them for the struggles they have had to live through, for the fears they have overcome. I am proud of people I’ve never meet, because of simple facts and simple deeds they didn’t realise where special.

I am happy that I get to see a simple, and loving and beautiful side of people and though there is the ugly, the love and acceptance in this one simple community can and will eclipse that for me, every time.

If you missed the beginning of the week here are the links

12th: It Starts with Understanding

14th: Falling in Love with MM Romance
 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for taking the time to read, please come along for more from me as I take the week out to celebrate love

Hope you’ll follow along and see what everyone else has to say