Today is the four-year anniversary of The Fourth Wall. I decided to mark the occasion in a few ways. One was by setting up a Goodreads giveaway, so if you’re interested in winning a print copy, click here to enter.
The other way I chose to commemorate my debut was by doing something I haven’t done since before the book was published—I read it.
I’d always wondered whether authors reread their novels after releasing them into the world. The idea seemed unbearable to me. What if it was terrible? What if there were embarrassing mistakes? That may sound insulting toward my publisher—of course they wouldn’t publish a terrible book—but anxiety is by nature irrational. The fear persisted.
And I’m happy to say it was unfounded. I loved rereading The Fourth Wall. It was like embracing an old friend or hearing a song you once loved that you haven’t heard in years. I bookmarked passages that I remember struggling with over and over and others that I barely remember writing at all. I marveled at how my editor, with her brilliant insight and suggestions, inspired some of the best scenes in the book.
Most of all, I savored the experience of reconnecting with characters and make-believe worlds that I’d found such joy in imagining. I’ll forever be grateful to WiDo Publishing for giving me the opportunity to share Marin’s story (and for doing such a beautiful job with the cover!), and I’m also grateful to all of you who’ve supported me along the way.
Elizabeth Maria Naranjo is the award-winning author of The Fourth Wall (WiDo Publishing, 2014). Her short fiction and creative nonfiction have been published in Brevity Magazine, Superstition Review, Hunger Mountain, Hospital Drive, The Portland Review, YARN, Literary Mama, and several other places. She lives in Tempe, Arizona, with her husband and two children.
This post originally appeared on her website elizabethmarianaranjo.com.