For Nora, with love
Hello, my lovelies! Now that Memorial Day weekend has passed, I’m declaring this week the official start of my summer reading. Last night, I started a new book that just came out a few days ago and arrived on my doorstep on release day, like a shiny, surprise gift I bought myself when it was on pre-order. (Seriously, is there anything more fun than ordering a book before it comes out and surprising yourself when it arrives?! 10/10 highly recommend!)
The book is The Final Target by Nora Roberts.
I haven’t read a Nora book in quite some time. Just in case you’ve been living under an actual rock for decades, Nora Roberts is a literary legend. She’s one of the bestselling and most prolific authors of all time. She writes romance, romantic suspense and police procedurals. Back before the Covid pandemic, when Romance Writers of America was a huge, influential trade organization (the group imploded right before the pandemic, which is a messy story for another day…they’re back now, but much smaller than they were back in their glory days), their Lifetime Achievement Award was named after Nora. It was called the Nora Roberts Lifetime Achievement Award, if that gives you some idea of just how much of a big deal she is.
Anyhoo, I’ve read lots of Nora’s books. Her romantic suspense novel The Search, is one of my all-time favorites, and I’ve listened to it on audio during multiple road trips. It features search and rescue dogs, which are hugely popular right now in romantic suspense fiction, especially in the inspirational/Christian sub-genre. But Nora was doing it ages ago! The Search was first published way back in 2010.
Like I said, it’s been a while since I’ve read a Nora book, but a month or so ago, I stumbled upon The Final Target up for pre-order online. The heroine of this book is an author, so I was excited to read it, because I love stories about writers.
The book begins at a book store where the main character is having her very first book signing. At the start of the first chapter, she’s in the cramped back storage room of the bookshop and I immediately got the biggest smile on face because…wait for it…Nora Roberts, in fact, owns her own book store and I have been in the back room of that cute shop, where I shared champagne and pizza with her, pinching myself all the while.
This happened over decade ago, so unless you’ve been following me for quite some time, you probably have no idea what I’m talking about. It’s a fun story, so I thought I’d share it here. Buckle up. 😘
Way back in 2014, the summer after my book Unleashing Mr. Darcy first came out, I attended the Romance Writers of America conference here in my hometown of San Antonio. The conference always included a huge, multi-author signing that was open to the public. During that event, a member of Nora Roberts’ team approached me and asked if I would be interested in signing books alongside Nora and a few other select authors at Turn the Page Bookstore in Boonsboro, Maryland. Here’s the part where I should say that Nora doesn’t technically own the bookstore. Her husband does. But Nora’s fingerprint is all over this small, quaint town. She and her husband own the local B&B, the Inn at Boonsboro, together. Her sons own both a pizzeria and a nicer, upscale tap house-style restaurant. I think her family also owns a gym and a gift shop? You get the idea. It’s basically Nora-land. She pretty much single-handedly revived the town and made it into a tourist destination for readers who love her books.
Every year, Nora holds two book signings at Turn the Page—usually, one in the spring and another in the fall. She invites a handful of other authors to join her, and usually, one of them is a newer, unknown author. Hello, that was me! This was a long time ago, way before my Hallmark movies and definitely before I ever appeared on a bestseller list. Literally no one knew who I was. I was thrilled to be invited and also very, very intimidated. But mainly thrilled. I couldn’t wait to travel to Maryland, and I booked a room at Nora’s B&B right away.
Then, things fell apart.
Unleashing Mr. Darcy was originally signed to a three-book contact. Unfortunately, literally the very same week I signed the contract, my publisher merged with another company and leadership at my imprint completely changed. When the book was released, it sold very (very) little. It just didn’t get any support at all from the new team. Just two months before I was supposed to go sign books with Nora, the publisher cancelled the rest of my contract. The third book, which was already finished and edited, never even got published.
To say I was devastated would’ve been an understatement. I was so new to publishing, and I felt like a complete and utter failure. Now, over a decade later, I have a lot more perspective and I know that most, if not all, authors have experienced things like this. Contracts getting canceled…being dropped by a publisher…disappointing sales numbers. It happens to nearly everyone. This is why I consider longevity to be the ultimate mark of success as an author. Can you bounce back when things don’t go as planned? I’m still here, and I’m still writing, and I love it just as much as I always have. That’s the true mark of success in my book. ❤️
Back then, though, I was a mess, to be frank. I honestly thought I would be uninvited to sign at Nora’s bookstore. I told the bookshop manager what happened, and she assured me they still wanted me to come. So, I did. Then things went from bad to worse when my publisher didn’t get my books there in time. I had to scramble and get my very own author copies shipped to Maryland so they would have books in stock for me. Needless to say, I arrived in Boonsboro feeling less than confident.
Things started turning around the second I checked into the B&B, though. Every room at the Boonsboro Inn is decorated with a literary theme, and my room was the Princess Bride Suite. It was stunning, and it had the most gorgeous copper bathtub. (I love bubble baths!)
The main section of the B&B had a gorgeous library full of books and a decanter of Jameson whiskey, which is famously Nora’s favorite. Best of all, though, Nora had left me a note in my room, along with a copy of my book. In the note, she thanked me for coming to the event and asked if I would sign the book for the Inn so it could be added to the collection in their library.
Y’all, I cried like a baby when I read that note. Something about it just healed me. I can’t even explain it, but in that moment, I felt like everything was going to be okay. I was still an author, and my career wasn’t over. I could keep writing if I wanted to. Nora believed in me.
The signing the next day was incredible. People lined up for blocks just to get in. Nora shared champagne with all us authors in the back of the bookshop and toasted the day. I was still slightly terrified, but mostly just in awe. And grateful beyond measure. I still am, because that day gave me back my spark at a time when I needed it oh-so-badly.
So cheers to Nora! I love that her new book brought this experience to life again in my mind. I’m off to make some caramel vanilla coffee and dive back into those pages!
xoxo Teri, Charm and Gingersnap
How wonderful that it worked out, even when things were going askew!
I'm about 90 minutes away from Turn the Page, so if you're ever back this way, I'll come see you!