A Little Bookstore Magic...

... an important reminder that joy can show up when you least expect it.

I’ve always wondered what it would feel like to stumble across my own book in the wild. Not in a “refreshing the online listing again” way, but in an “oh wow, that’s my book in real life” way.

This weekend, I finally got that moment.

I walked into my local Indigo Books and there it was: four copies of my book, facing out on the shelf. I did a double take, because surely one copy would’ve been enough to make my day. But four?

Then I wandered a bit farther into the store and spotted another stack featured on a centre-column display. The kind of display you only get if somebody in the back room decided, “Yeah, let’s put this one where people actually look.”

A bookseller noticed me lingering (slash staring) and asked if I needed any help. I told her I was having a milestone author moment and she said she’d been the one to shelve the book and loved the cover. She told me “I’m excited to read it.” and that was the moment that got me. It wasn’t a full on ugly-cry but my cheeks were definitely wet.

Publishing is a strange mix of grind, hope, and rejection. But then something like this happens and it recalibrates everything. A small reminder that the long nights and the stubborn refusal to quit do pay off.

Thank you Indigo Grandview Corners for making my week. I’ll see you next Sunday for my first signing event for book two.

And because I try to be honest about this whole journey: these bright moments don’t fully erase the tough ones. They just make them easier to carry. On the days when the writing feels impossible, or the rejections pile up, or imposter syndrome decides to set up a temporary (but always very loud) residence, I hang onto tiny proof points like this.

A kind email from a reader.
A friend who reads an early draft and loves it before I do.
One good writing day out of ten.
And now: a shelf, a stack, and a bookseller who’s excited to read my work.

These are the things that keep me moving forward. Not with boundless confidence (I wish…) but with a kind of steady, stubborn joy.

Here’s to more of these moments, however small, and to noticing them when they finally arrive.

— Kelly

PS If you’ve read All You Have To Do and have a moment to leave an Amazon or Goodreads review, it truly helps other readers discover it. All links are on my website.