It's really important to me to offer books in large print, and particularly to ensure that the large print edition is available for the same price as the standard edition.
One thing I did differently with Everybody Knows: I created not just larger print, but a larger book. The large print edition is 7.5"x9.25", so more squarish than my usual 5.25x8. (Who else nerds out on book stuff and accessibility?)
Anyhoo, this week's 7-paragraph excerpt is from a touching story called One Woman Show. It's the very last story in Everybody Knows and it's never been published elsewhere. I kept it for this collection because I love these characters--a transgender actress rehearsing her one-woman-show, and her friend Jenna, who gives her the encouragement she needs:
"I wouldn’t say I had a bad childhood. Lots of kids had it worse.” Rising from the floor, Wellesley let out a small chuckle. “This is starting to feel like therapy.”
Jenna laughed along. “You would know.”
Staring at a bare bulb, Wellesley felt a spark of inspiration. Out of her fear, something real rose up. She had a vision of what she could create for her audience. Her story was real. If she told it right, she could really move them.
“When I was twelve, Mom drove me to the city. There were no therapists in town, and even if there had been she wouldn’t have wanted anyone getting wind that I was seeing one. She asked the doctor if there was something wrong with me. And if you have to ask, the answer’s pretty clear.”
“Something wrong with you?”
“Puberty didn’t sit well.” Wellesley suddenly felt dizzy, and she set herself down on the futon. “Hey, Jenna, isn’t it weird how sometimes it’s easier talking to strangers than talking to someone you love? I could tell Dr. Mirim things I could never tell my mom. And, for some reason, the idea of bearing my soul to one hundred and seventy three audience members is less unsettling than the idea of getting naked in front of you.”
Jenna peeked out from behind her makeshift spotlight. “Just pretend I’m a hundred and seventy three people.”
***
I really hope you'll grab a copy of Everybody Knows, whether as an ebook, paperback, or large print paperback.
It's available from Amazon http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00U01XGLY?tag=dondes-20
Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/everybody-knows-giselle-renarde/1121294662
...and a bunch of other retailers. Ask for it at your favourite bookstore--I'm sure they can order you a copy.
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