So, it is basically impossible to listen to the voices in your head when you have so much going on around you.  The last couple of months have been bananas for me, trying to sell my home and purchase a new one on top of working on getting my first book ready to publish.  I was able to work on the first draft of my third book Thirteen some right before our move, but haven’t been able to write any for the last couple of weeks.  My first book in currently still in the editing process.  Not going to lie, I am super nervous about getting that back.  At the end of the day though, I believe in my work and the story.  All three of my book covers are being worked on currently also, which I am super duper excited about!  I can not wait to see them or to share them with you guys.

My plans from here are to finish my first draft of my third book while I wait to hear back from my editor on my first book.  Once I have that back, I will work on the suggested corrections/rewrites getting it ready for formatting.  My hopes to have In this moment published by the end of September is still a possibility although it will mean a couple of long days for me.  After I have my first book ready to publish, I will start the process with my second book, Crushed.  Fingers crossed, it won’t take nearly as long to get my second book out.  Of course, once the second is ready I will move on to third.  As far as the series goes, I have at least two more books running through my head.  However, I am thinking I am going to put the series on hold to write something a little different.  I guess it will really just depend on which of the voices are speaking the loudest.  Ha!

I am getting closer each day to seeing my dream come to life, and it feels amazing.  Now that we are officially settled in our new home, (although I am writing this in the floor of my new office bc I still don’t have a desk) I plan to focus on my writing as much as possible.  Writing is my passion.  I do it because I enjoy it; because it brings me peace.  On the flip side of that though, I can’t hoping that I can make something out of it also.  Wouldn’t everyone love to be able to make money doing what they love though?

The process of publishing my first book has been a rather taxing one. I know in the end all of this will be worth it. But I’m not going to lie, if not for my love of writing, I would have given up by now. With a little help from a friend, I have stayed positive and focused. After some reworking and adding over 10K words, I am feeling more confident and satisfied in this story.  I am doing this for me; to prove to myself that I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to, but at the end of the day I really want people to love it too. 

Books are amazing, right?  They are a magical fantasy filled escape. No doubt you have a favorite author (or a few favorites like me) that you absolutely love. You probably patiently await every new release, watching for every teaser just itching to click that pre-order button.  But… do you really appreciate the hard work and dedication that goes into getting those pages of happiness to you?  Do you realize the amount of hours that are spent staring at a computer screen?  Do you fully understand just how much of their heart and soul an author puts into their work?

I didn’t, at least until now.  Books are my addiction.  I have spent countless hours reading and countless dollars (shhh… don’t tell my husband) buying them.  I follow all my favorite authors on different social media accounts showing them love whenever I can. But it wasn’t until I started the process of writing and publishing my first novel that I truly began to appreciate them.

When I started this process I never dreamed there would be so much involved. Sure I knew it wasn’t as simple as just writing a story. I was prepared for the hours of rewrites and editing that you go through once you’re finally able to get the story out of your head and onto paper. But… it doesn’t stop there. Not even close. 

You’ll probably never hear an author complain about how hard writing is (which is not what I am doing either) because it’s a labor of love. A writer writes because it brings them pleasure. It makes them whole. Writing is more than just a part of who they are. It’s more than a hobby or career. It’s passion, love, and inspiration. 

The next time you’re enjoying a good book, keep in mind how much love and dedication went into it. If you love a book, tell the author. The best way to show your appreciation is to let them know that their writing brought your joy.  Also keep in mind the next time you are being critical of a book or someone’s writing, just don’t. That author put themselves into their work. They had the courage to put parts of their heart and soul out into the world for anyone to see. Instead of pointing out their flaws, try admiring their strength. 

I am taking a chance by deciding to publish my writing.  I know the risks, but I also know that they are well worth the reward.  Making this decision means opening myself up for ridicule; it means sharing a part of myself with the world.  I’m not going to lie, it is all scary as hell.  For the most part I am walking through this process blindly with nothing except my own ambition to guide the way.  There are days when I question and second guess all of this, but at the end of the day I know it’s up to me to believe in myself and my dreams.

When I decided to do something with my writing, I never dreamed there will be so much involved in the process.  The voices in my head kept telling me “if you write it, they will read it” and I believed them.  If only it were as “simple” as just getting your story out of your head and onto paper, but that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface.  Once you think you finally have your story the way you want it, you get to send it off to an editor for slaughter.  Then you get to think about stuff like formatting, cover design, marketing strategies with book blog tours and social media accounts, getting the copyright for your work, and setting up a web page.  All of this and more has to be done before you get to push that magical publish button.  It can all feel very over whelming and maddening at times, but I truly believe all of this is going to pay off in the end.