Learning from the Master

My mother is a salesperson. She is the reason that I am a salesperson for a living. Due to her relentless training throughout my childhood on the art of the sale, I was able to bullshit my way into the job I have now with no professional sales experience and a completely unrelated degree.
And even though at times she has been a huge help in my life, it took me six months before I told my mother I had written a book. My family takes to books the way Mormons take to vodka. I am completely secure that my mother will never read any books I would ever publish. However, she would be happy to watch any of them that might be made into a mini-series. But that's not why I didn't tell her about the book. Mostly I didn't want to hear the whole time I was writing it, "Why aren't you writing a cook book?" or, "You should write about your great aunt Flossie." So when I finally told her, and she processed the fact that selling the book could equal dollars, she got excited for me and compared it to when Greenlee sent Kendall's book to be published on All My Children. Even after I explained to her that the publishing process is quite different when you are not on a soap opera, she has remains as supportive as she can.
She doesn't ask me questions about it everyday, and as long as I break it down to her as a business, she can relate.
So the other day, my uncle stopped by her store bragging on one of his step daughters. Since he has remarried, his current wife has been dragging children out of the woodwork. When they got married, she had one daughter. I think the total now is 6. So my uncle was bragging that his 14-year old stepdaughter was a writer. She has written a book and turned it into her teacher. The teacher was so impressed with it that she is sending it off to a publishing house and the book will be published.
I'd like to think that I am above petty jealousies of a 14 year old. I'd really like to.
So my mother, God bless her, explains to my uncle that it is not so easy to get published. That it is hard work, and you don't get published after sending out one letter. She relayed a few stories I shared with her about my friends trying to get works published. She explained to him that even the ones that do find publishing houses have years before that book actually hits the shelves.
He didn't listen to her. No one really wants to believe its that hard to write a book.
But I love my mom for sticking up for me. In her own really sweet way she defended my struggle and basically said, "Shut up about your stepdaughter."
Here's to moms!
And in honor of mom's everywhere, please check out this website. It is texts and e-mail messages moms have sent their kids. I could not stop laughing at all the Costco references.