Hooray, my new book Autastisch leven was officially released yesterday! The book launch last night at bookstore Broese in Utrecht was a big success, but before that…

As I mentioned in my previous blog, I had scheduled a pickup with PostNL via MyParcel to collect all the pre-orders. By that point, I had nearly 300 packed books in my room, and those aren’t exactly something you can just drop off at a post office.

PostNL was supposed to deliver mailbags a few days in advance, which I would then fill with the books. After that, the delivery driver would come pick everything up on Monday at 13:00. But those mailbags were nowhere to be found. And when I checked the MyParcel system again later, the pickup appointment had suddenly been moved to April 1st!

In a panic, I called MyParcel on Monday morning. They assured me that PostNL would definitely come that day – first to deliver the mailbags, and then to collect everything. But by 12:30, I still hadn’t seen a single bag. (Later it turned out the bags had actually been delivered to the reception desk on Thursday, but since they didn’t know who they were for, they just sent them straight back…)

I called MyParcel again, and they advised me to just pack everything into boxes. I had plans that day with Charlotte, who helped me transfer 300 small parcels into one giant box and two IKEA bags. And then PostNL showed up! Not the guy with the bags – no, the pickup guy. He was a bit startled that we didn’t have the mailbags, but Charlotte and I helped him load everything onto his cart, and in the end, it all worked out after all.

Yesterday I quickly uploaded the e-book (it should now be available on all platforms, though some platforms might be slow and not have processed the upload yet), and then took the train to Maan. We’d agreed to hang out/work at her place so I wouldn’t spend the whole day stressing on my own before the book launch. I edited a photo and cuddled Maan’s cats.

Around half past four, we headed into the city. Maan on her bike, me by bus. We wanted to grab something to eat before the event started, and we figured we’d have plenty of time. But then two buses didn’t show up, and the one I was on got stuck in traffic. Maan had already arrived by bike, so we decided she’d go ahead to the restaurant, take photos of the menu, and order. “Will that work out?” we wondered. But when Maan walked into the ramen place and saw it was authentically Japanese, we knew: this would be fine.

In just under half an hour, I slurped down my ramen. The restaurant was so Japanese that I – yes, in Japanese, because I’m that show-off – asked if they had an apron, and they did. In Japan, you can get a paper bib at ramen restaurants so you don’t splash your clothes. Seemed pretty useful for a book launch.

At 18:00, we arrived at Broese. The book launch would start in an hour, so it was a bit of calm before the storm. The staff led us to an office overlooking the canal and the entrance. We had a cup of tea and quietly peeked downstairs to see who was arriving.

I had expected I might get emotional during the presentation, but when I saw my aunt, uncle, and nephew arriving through the window, I already started tearing up. My uncle and nephew are autistic, and my nephew Pascal’s story is also included in the new book. They had said they would come, but with a caveat, since events like this can often be overwhelming for them. So I had mentally prepared myself for them not coming… and then suddenly, there they were!

And then it was my turn. I introduced my book, read a short excerpt, and then presented the symbolic first copy to my father. It wasn’t actually the first copy – I’d already given that to my brother last week when I had dinner at his place. “Yes, yes, I know!” my father said. It was a beautiful moment – emotional, but also funny. After that, it was time for a Q&A, where I answered questions from the audience.

After a short break, it was time for the second part of the evening: the signing. It turned into a kind of meet & greet, with readers wanting photos or telling me how much my first book had meant to them. That still feels surreal to me, but it’s definitely nice to hear. I hope people will also get a lot out of my new book.

Afterwards, I signed a few more books for Broese, which they’ll be placing in the store. After that, I walked to the station and caught the train – first to Den Haag Centraal, where I would transfer to the sprinter to Den Haag Hollands Spoor.

On autopilot, I got onto the sprinter. Since I didn’t want to walk too far at Hollands Spoor, I made my way through the train toward the front. The train wouldn’t depart for a few minutes, as Den Haag Centraal was the starting point. I passed a mobility scooter parked next to the toilet. The owner had plugged a large, black, square device into the outlet under the seat – the battery, I assumed. The man himself went into the bathroom. “Interesting,” I thought. A bit further on, I spotted a large fire extinguisher under the seats. “Good that they have those,” I thought. “In case a battery like that ever catches fire.” I sat down, and not even a minute later I thought, wow, something smells awful in here! That battery had caught fire! (Or maybe it was the outlet – I imagine a battery would have caused more chaos.) Another passenger quickly grabbed a fire extinguisher and got to work. I was glad we were still at the station and got off right away.

Although the fire didn’t seem too serious, the train obviously wasn’t going anywhere anymore. Luckily, I know my way around The Hague. I walked outside and right in front of me tram 17 pulled up. That got me to Hollands Spoor in just a few minutes – although this way I did have to pay for it. I walked to my hotel and went straight to bed. What a day.