Wow. I’d always heard an author’s debut release day is amazing. It’s true, all true. In fact, I’m betting I’ll feel like a princess for the entire week! Now that Personal Assets is officially out in the world, I wanted to reflect not only on release day itself, but also what I learned in the months and years up to my first release.
- Writing multiple guest blog posts in a short timeframe is fun but exhausting. Thanks to all the bloggers out there who do interviews and accept guest posts – you rock!
- Friends keep you sane. I’m lucky to have good friends who are multi-published. During the past 10 months, they’ve answered questions, held my hand, calmed my panic attacks and more. You know who you are – mwah!
- Sometimes getting published later, rather than sooner, is better. At this point, I’m way more willing to go with the flow, make changes to my work, and ask for help than I was when I began writing several years ago.
- Having at least one non-writer friend who really “gets it” is helpful. In my world, that’s my husband Tech Guy. He cheers me on, encourages me when I’m down, and tells me how proud he is of me.
- As prepared as you might be for your release, you’re never totally ready. It’s kinda like having a baby. One day you don’t have one, and the next day you do. No matter how many diapers you’ve stocked up on and what gadgets you’ve bought, you’ll invariably need something else when that kid arrives. As a writer, you might have a website, blog, and social media accounts, but you’ll only find out what works with your readers once you have readers.
- Writing through life’s ups and downs is crucial. Once I got it through my head that life happens, yet the writing still has to prioritized even if it’s only for 20 minutes a day, my whole world shifted.
Just want to give a quick shout-out to some of the folks who’ve been with me during this wild journey to publication: Tech Guy, Smarty Boy, Adrienne Giordano, Tracey Devlyn, Jamie Farrell, Nancy Naigle, and Theresa Stevens.
Thanks also to super-editor Deb Nemeth, Angela James and the rest of the Carina Press crew.
And a fist-bump to The Dangerous Darlings, my group street team. Thanks for doing all that you do!
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August is Happiness Happens Month which is just perfect for my debut month! What’s made you happy this month?
