The Henry Tilney Effect

Or, more accurately you could call it the Catherine Morland Effect. Consider this quote from Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey:

...Though Henry was now sincerely attached to her, though he felt and delighted in all the excellencies of her character and truly loved her society, I must confess that his affection originated in nothing better than gratitude, or in other words, that a persuasion of her partiality for him had been the only cause of giving her a serious thought.

Meaning--Henry Tilney only even noticed Catherine Morland because she was crazy about him first. Otherwise, he would have completely overlooked her! Now, I was already not a fan of Northanger Abbey, and this half-hearted affection finished me off. But, as always, Austen is right.

All it takes for us to love someone is for them to love us first. (God even uses this strategy. As the Apostle John puts it, "We love because he first loved us" (1 Jn 4:19).) All of which is to say, I have discovered in myself a deep and abiding affection for Mr. Stephen Windwalker of the popular Kindle Nation Daily blog. Why? Because Mr. Windwalker first loved me.

Full disclosure: I laid down cold hard cash to be featured on KND, so that's how he heard of Mourning Becomes Cassandra in the first place. I supplied the picture, the synopsis, and the editorial reviews. But what Mr. Windwalker added to that, if anything, was entirely up to him.

So, when I opened up the link and saw the preliminary hemming-and-hawing to the effect of, "Hey--I don't recommend the books, I just post them," I figured he wanted to distance himself from something that had religious overtones. Imagine my delight when he was just using such a preamble to say that, no, this time he was really getting behind a book! The pertinent quotes:

It's the real thing. There are no vampires, time-travelers, or interplanetary adventures, but there are real laughs and real tears throughout. And finally, this:  

We've had well over a hundred sponsoring authors at Kindle Nation these past few months, yet I can count on the fingers of one hand the authors about whom I have written to my contacts among publishing industry editors, acquisitions people, and literary agents. Christina Dudley will be the sixth, and I will be surprised, when you've downloaded Mourning Becomes Cassandra and read it, if you disagree. --S.W.

I am in love. Someone liking you first is irresistible. Henry Tilney, I understand you at last.