In getting ready for my book launch of The Beloved Equation on November 9, I'm starting to reach out to people I know who are willing to do a book review, for free in exchange for a copy of my book. If this is you, please know that in posting an honest appraisal of my book on social media, you are doing something big.
This little book, has taken me on a publishing journey that started 11 years ago. It didn't take me long to make the book, but getting it out there has been arduous.
In 2011, no one in publishing was willing to take on a book featuring a lead character with an obvious disability.
I was told outright that no one would want it for that very reason!! I guess that publisher didn't know that people with disabilities, at one billion strong worldwide, are not exactly niche. But, he insisted by his words to me, that we are invisible.
Shortly after, I met a man I always think of as 'Angel Carl' on Wheeltrans. He was going for dialysis one morning and I showed him my copy of the story. He said, "If people could read this book, they would not despair. Nor would they resort to violence when life did not go their way!"
The next time I saw Angel Carl on Wheeltrans, some weeks later, he had built beautiful webpages for the book, to keep himself busy while in hospital… He had such heart and soul despite his illness. I understood then, that I could not give up on The Beloved Equation. Sadly, our paths never crossed again.
Later, I did workshops about the book, and found that people truly loved everything about my story. Check out what the workshop participants said in quotes, in this video: What people say about The Beloved Equation! I continued to follow publishing leads, but the timing was never right, or an answer never came.
I had to pause this project until… in 2020, I was introduced to Prometea Press and that was that! I am truly grateful to my publisher at Prometea Press and to all my friends, family, book reviewers and colleagues and to Angel Carl, who have stayed true to realising the dream of The Beloved Equation with me. Thank you!
You mean the world to me!
- Marina
