However around the time that my 40th reunion was approaching, I was planning a trip to my hometown to spend time with my parents, particularly my mother since she had been diagnosed with a serious illness. Over the course of several days caregiving for my mother, I decided to take a break and attend the reunion. It was refreshing. When I walked into the ballroom I was greeted with smiles, hugs and congratulations for my recently published novel, The Talking Drum, which classmates had learned about from my social media pages. I greeted them with stories about my publishing journey and passed around bookmarks and postcards promoting my book. I had book champions and didn’t realize it. Many promised to purchase a copy. I learned later that several did follow through.

Thanks to my promoting my novel on social media, when I attended my next college reunion, some classmates had already purchased the book. I brought a half dozen copies with me to our reunion weekend social and within minutes sold them all. One guy—who’d had a few too many beers—paid for a book even though I’d run out of copies and never gave me the address where he wanted it shipped.

A classmate at the social who self-published a devotional book told me about the alumni author expo held during homecoming weekend. I’d never heard of it. Since receiving that tip I’ve sold books with other alumni authors at the vendor bazaar before and during the big football game, lectured at a class of undergraduate creative writing students, and have been featured at classmates’ virtual book club gatherings.