Grateful

I had my first author event last month at my town library and I couldn’t have asked for a better night. Minus the fact that it was a monsoon out, I had a really great turnout and everyone was so sweet and asked really great questions that the hour flew by. I’m incredibly lucky that I have so many people in my life who love and support me and show up for me. I knew every person in that room but it meant so much to me that they all cared enough to be there. Two lovely ladies that I met at the conference I went to in May, had flowers sent to the library to wish me luck. I was beyond touched.

It felt so good to talk about my book, “The One That Got Away”, talk about my writing process, what it’s like to self-publish and all the things I have in the works. I was reminded that I’m good at talking in front of groups of people, especially about something I’m passionate about. It’s something I’d definitely love to do more of, even going to high school writing classes and talking to the students about the writing/publishing process. I know how much it would’ve meant to me at that age to have someone come in and give me a realistic view on it all.

Last week, I got to spend a few days in Miami with my sister and I got to get some writing done on the beach. It was pure heaven! There is something about staring out at the ocean with your laptop on your lap that is like nothing else. Especially for me, who is used to writing in the confines of her bedroom, this was a very welcome change.

I sent off my revisions for book two to my editor while I was there and when I got home she had them back for me. Thankfully, there weren’t too many fixes that had to happen so I spent the next few days working on that and on Wednesday, I sent the final draft off to my formatter and filed my copyright. Woo! I’m still planning for a January release so hopefully everything moves along and I’m ready to roll.

I swear I must’ve blocked this part of the process out of my mind from last year because it is totally overwhelming. Between trying to finish up the edits, scheduling my formatter, getting in touch with my cover designer to let him know we’re gonna be ready to design the paperback soon, filing the copyright and getting myself set up on KDP for this book, I feel like my head is going to explode. Oh and did I mention, I started working on book three already? It’s also less than two weeks to Thanksgiving which means Christmas is in about six weeks. I’m trying to get through as much Christmas shopping as possible whenever I can so that I’m not flailing come December, a month before I’m ready to release my book.

So that’s a lot…there’s no sugar coating it. Most days I just want to stay under a blanket with the Hallmark channel on, writing while the sun is still out, but alas, that’s not in the cards. I have to figure out how to make it work. I have to schedule writing time (which I’ve been terrible at lately), work my day job, get ready for the holidays, and do all the things so that my book is ready for Amazon come January. Despite all that chaos, I am so so grateful for the opportunity to put another book out into the world. I am so grateful for everyone who has embraced the first book and me as an author. I am grateful for my amazing support system. I think when everything feels like it’s spinning out of control, it’s important to take a step back and look at all the things we have to be grateful for. Sometimes they are harder to see than others, but they’re always there.

Right now I’m in a bit of a holding pattern. My formatter has hold of my manuscript and he’s going to proofread it as he formats which is a Godsend. His eye for detail is incredible and I’m so excited to see this book in it’s completed form. Then it’ll be time to create the paperback cover which I’m also really excited about. In the meantime, I need to get my butt in gear and get back to writing book three!

If you’re feeling like everything is going at 100 mph and you can’t catch your breath, I encourage you to take a step back and think of all the great things and people you have in your life. Try and organize yourself if you can (use lists, calendars, or just do the things) and also give yourself some grace. If this is your first time putting a book out into the world, you’re going to be overwhelmed and that’s OKAY! Don’t forget to be grateful for the things and the people that allow you to do what you do. No one gets to where they are on their own…there are always people helping in some way so even if you feel like a complete and utter mess, be thankful for all the good things no matter how small they may be. Gratitude goes a long way…it’s easy to forget that. Keep trucking along, you’ve got this. Like my yoga instructor says, “Everything is already okay.” Until next time!