How My Kiddo Made Me Think Differently About My Books Today

This morning, my three year old son was playing in my office, and he called out, “Mom, this is a scary book!”

Curious as to what he was talking about, I joined him in the office to find him holding a copy of my YA fantasy novel, Emerald Shadow. When I followed up with, “That book is scary?” he replied, “Yeah. It’s scary. It has monsters and zombies in it and it’s so cool.”
​
​Now, I was surprised by this statement. Emerald Shadow is the sequel to the first book I ever released (Azure Light) and was the fourth book I ever published. Because it is one of my older works, I don’t talk about it often, especially around my kiddo. But everything he was saying (except for the zombies, though he wasn’t far off with that statement either) was true about this particular book. 

It is a bit scary at times. It does have monsters in it, and in a way, it kind of has zombies in it too. 

So I asked him, “How do you know that?” 

He sat up straight and held the book high into the air and said, “Because it’s dark.”

Also true. I don’t know if he actually knows anything about that story - he’s only now starting to be able to read simple words - but even that statement is true. The story takes place in a world that is almost all dark, and completely devoid of sunlight.


And that got me thinking. Do I portray all that in my cover? No, I don’t think so, though I try to convey some of it. 

So how did he know all this?

My best guess is that he’s been paying attention when I have book signing events. Paying attention to what I say to readers when they ask what my books are about. 

And if that’s the case, then maybe I am marketing my books (at least in person) better than I thought. 

So I set a goal, because I’m all about that. For the next few videos or posts I make about my books, I’m going to try to word it in a way that mirrors what I do at my book signings (as best I can without the flowing conversation with a reader) and simplify things so that even my three year old who can barely read will be able to grasp the themes. 

Have you had any revelations like this lately? Any interactions with family, friends or even strangers that made you pause snd think differently about something you do? I’d love to know!