In just two short days, Incineration, will be available for
people to read. Let’s be honest…for friends and family to read. That’s the
downside of self-publishing; very few people outside of your inner (and outer)
circle will find out about your novel.
Honestly,
I’m okay with that. Already, I’ve had a ton of support from people I know and
even garnered some interest from people I don’t know (mind-blowing to me!).
Regardless of how many readers I reach, I enjoy writing.
In
a perfect world, readers will love my books and recommend them. I’ll be able to
write for a living. Nobody will ever get sick, and we’ll all ride off into the
sunset…
In
a realistic world—the one I live in—writing will continue to be a hobby. But
I’m hopeful. Hopeful that I’ll sell enough books to justify hiring an editor
and cover artist. If I can do that, I can keep self-publishing.
Being
a stay-at-home mom, has afforded me so much. I’ve had the privilege to watch my
kids grow and be at their school to volunteer occasionally. Being at home, I
was able to learn how to cook and BAKE—which is a good thing because we all
need to eat. It taught me how to be happy--and elated--that I get paid with hugs and kisses. But it also allowed me to continue writing.
I’m
trying to navigate my world out of this stay-at-home status, and back into a
world where I am part of the workforce. But, I’m learning that it’s nearly
impossible to stop being one, and shift over to the other. I can’t simply just
disappear from the mornings before school and afternoons when it’s over. I have
to find a balance.
I’ve
taken for granted the freedom you have as a stay-at-home parent. Sure, we’re
slaves to our children, but we get to decide when we go to the grocery store.
If we’ve had a particularly rough night, most of the time we can take it easy
the following day.
I’ve
mentioned before that I keep myself busy by taking on insane projects or
overcommitting to outside obligations. I incorrectly assumed that what I was
doing was comparable to being at work all day.
The
two are completely different things; both busy and hectic but different.
Raising little people and having them hang on you, shout at you, and love on
you all day is a roller-coaster that is both exhausting and exhilarating. I was
wrong to assume I could just sever myself from that and step right back into
the working world.
So,
I’ve tried to step back into it casually. Paint a pet portrait here and there.
Help out my mother(-in-law) at the flower shop occasionally. But primarily I
write.
I’ve
treated writing as a job for years now, even though I have yet to earn anything
from it. I set a schedule and stick to it because I know I’m useless once the
kids are in the house. I’m lucky to get five minutes uninterrupted. Many of you
know what I’m talking about.
Finally,
I feel like my dedication is paying off. Sure, I didn’t get the attention of a
literary agent; but I’m still publishing. Considering I’ve already written eight
books, it took me a little while to finally jump off the cliff.
Still,
there’s so much to learn. I know many authors offer advanced reader copies to
people for review. I can’t even pretend I know how to do that or who to
contact. Advertising is also important—and uncomfortable. So…baby-steps.
In
two days, I hope many of you will take the time to check out my book. I want to
make this a career and that’s only possible if I have readers, reviewers, and
recommendations. I’m so excited and nervous to see what you all think. Please
leave a review on the site that you purchased it from (hopefully a good one).
Thanks
for all the support!
