Book Release Number Seven!

This is book release number seven for me! Woot woot! It’s been a wild ride. I’ve been publishing my books for the past year and a half, and it definitely hasn’t been all unicorns and rainbows. Self-publishing might be easier than ever, but it was NOT easy for me. This shy little introvert had to learn how to shatter her glass cage and leave the safety and comfort of hiding.

Following my dream has been HARD, but there was no other option for me. My writing sat on the back burner for so many years that I felt it eating away at me as I suppressed the ideas and words. I was suffocating. I finished my first book and went on to the second, hiding it from almost everyone. I was embarrassed to tell anyone I was meeting with an editor because then they would know I was taking my writing seriously, and I was scared no one would ever take me seriously.

Fear be damned, I was still giddy to meet with my editor even though editing the first book was painful. My rough draft was a mess, and I was defensive of my work. I put my heart and soul into it and had to learn how to take criticism. There has been a lot of growth from that first draft to where I am now, but I still feel like I’m pretending some days.

Ultimately, my decision to move forward and publish my books came from fear, which is funny because fear was what held me back for so long. I was scared I would look back at my life and be disappointed in myself for not trying to chase my dream when I had the chance. And that fear won out. I was also terrified that I would put all my time, effort, heart, and soul into these books and people would tell me I sucked. Guess what, they did. One of my first reviews from a stranger on my very first book was a one star. ⭐️ Ouch! That hurt! They gave no feedback, just a single star, and you know what? I survived it. I’ve had dozens of reviews since, and that remains my only one-star review. And there will probably be more one-stars someday, but even my very favorite books in the whole world written by brilliant award-winning authors get one-star reviews. I can live with “failure,” but I can’t live with the regret of not trying.