someone asked me why i dont try and publish .. really i dont care about it. i read a thing about a lot of real published authors these days .. the average income except for the lucky few is about $21,000 USD a year. They need to find other work to survive. I make more than double that at my job ... i get to write as i feel like it .. and a few kind souls read my work and say they like it. I could self-publish .. delude myself into thinking i've done some amazing thing .. ANYONE can do that. i'm not going to. I like my job most of the time. i live the life i love..and i get to interact with beautiful, intelligent, funny, interesting and talented people. Publishing doesnt make me good, or successful .. because i already am. Tell your mother that. Tell her she is missing out on a huge part of you.