As I am writing this blog post, it is the night before the release of my debut novel. I am sitting at my kitchen table, watching a little Monday Night Football, and thinking about all of the things that I didn't do to prepare for tomorrow.
- I didn't get to all of the items on a sheet of paper titled “Release Day Checklist.”
- I didn't plan an online release day party. I didn't even know that was a thing until recently.
- I didn’t plan a real-life release day party either. To be honest, this book is a surprise to most of my friends and family, so not many people would have known to come if I’d had a party anyway. 😃 I didn’t even tell my husband until after I had sent it off to my editor.
- I didn’t spend the last few days pulling out my hair trying to make sure that everything is absolutely perfect.
So, am I just another woman doing what we sometimes do best? Beating myself up because I wasn’t good enough?
No...I’m not. The you know the items I listed above...the ones that I didn’t do...they don’t hold a candle to the things that I did do.
- I wrote a book. Let me repeat...I WROTE A BOOK! Not many people get to say something like that in their lives.
- I worked VERY hard on this book. I’ve had these characters in my head for a long time, and this book has been percolating for a while. When I got serious about writing it, I went all in.
- I went out of my comfort zone. I knew nothing about writing a book when I started, so I had to learn. I taught myself. I read books and blogs. I watched videos. I asked questions of people who had written books.
- I proved to myself that I could accomplish something.
I am very proud of this book, and I am proud of myself. Is this the best book ever written? Not even close! But, it is the best book that I could have written at this point in my life. I’m still learning, and working, and evolving as a writer.
My next book will be different. I will take what I learned writing this one and apply it to the next one. It will probably be better. It may come together a bit easier because I know a little more about what I am doing now. I have already begun working on Book 2 of The Brisand Family Saga, but I can guarantee something. Reluctant Heiress will always be special to me. It’s the one that helped me prove to myself that I could do it.