Three-Six-Five

There are times in life when you say, What? It's been how long? Being an author is like that.
I can't believe my book has been out for a three-hundred-sixty-five days. And yet, I can't believe it's only been a year. It's perfect that Becoming Beauty was published in November, the month of gratitude, because I'm overwhelmingly grateful.

I'm grateful that I took a chance on myself and the story that rattled around in my soul for years. It desperately wanted to be told.

I'm grateful that Cedar Fort Publishing took a chance on me. Becoming Beauty may not be wildly successful, but it continues to move. I appreciate that the publishing house took me in hand and made so much more of Becoming Beauty than I could have done alone. Much of the good press has originated with Cedar Fort, their team of professionals, and their connections. A huge thank you to them!

I'm grateful to friends, new and old, online and in my community who have supported me. Countless individuals have created blog posts, bought books, recommended Becoming Beauty to friends, invited me to visit their school, book clubs, libraries, and coffee shops. I love that. And I love all of you who have taken time out of your life to help a girl out. I love you all. As they say, it takes a village to raise a child, it also takes a village to publish a book.

I'm grateful to my family for being so proud, so impressed, and so supportive. It's true that they are my biggest fans. And yes, they keep thinking this is soooo cool and asking when my next book will be published. How awesome is that?

I'm grateful that stories keep whispering to my heart. It is not the end of the road and I refuse to be another one hit wonder. Even on my hardest teaching days, I know that there is another life waiting in the wings, an impatient muse tapping her toe until her chance to breathe life into another story arrives.

One year later, here's what I know: Don't abandon your dreams. Don't abandon that bit of more that is struggling to take center stage. It is more marvelous than you can ever guess.

Also, want in on a secret? Since Becoming Beauty can't have cupcakes for her birthday, she's shelling out the gifts! 99 cents all week! Just in time to gift it to a friend or secure your own holiday read!
Amazon Kindle
Barnes & Noble Nook
books&things ebook
iTunes ebook

Purpose Reborn

So much stronger than fleeting happiness, a sense of purpose can drive us forward through the dark days.

What was I thinking when I published a book, took on the unknown world of marketing, left my job, started a new job, had hand surgery, underwent various dental procedures, and participated in several author events? 

No wonder I'm tired.

After the dust settled and the new car smell wore off those wonderful new experiences, the work of it settled into my bones and I understood what I'd gotten myself into. No matter how inspired I might have been to finish penning a chapter or complete a project, like I always do, I hit a place where I question my own capability and wonder if I can make it through. 

After reading A Room With a View in college, I have always thought of that state as being muddled. (Fabulous read, by the way.)

Photo courtesy of Upsplash.com

There are few endeavors I undertake lightly. I've always been a test the waters, then retest the waters again before jumping in kind of gal. So when I feel like I'm going through the motions, pasting on a smile while everything inside me is cold, it's particularly muddlesome. 

The cycle typically begins with a period of wallowing in couch potato land, accompanied by ranting, raving, and basic hermit behavior. (I try to keep this part strictly offline. To my dear friends, I love you and I'm sorry.) When I'm finally ready to take a proactive approach, I do the following:

I mentally review what brought me to this place and this decision. For me there is usually a pinnacle moment, a feeling of rightness that precedes the decision and gifts me with the purpose to see it through. Remembering that moment awakens at least a portion of that purpose again.

Sometimes taking a moment to breathe and rest, reconnect my heart and mind, and remove myself from the muddle is enough to recenter my mind. Music, art, theater, and literature all distract me from the drama of day-to-day life and help my mind refocus. On top of escape, the bonus gift of inspiration is just as likely to spark the next good idea, solution, or direction. 

Acting like an utter imbecile removes me from the muddle and allows me to examine the issue from the outside. Game night, chicken dances, kitchen yodeling, acting like a kids with kids, and about a million other pointless activities always help me remember who I am. Some people are off-put by silliness, but there is little I know that is better for retraining negative thoughts.

Each of us has moments when we lose sight of our purpose. As devastating as that might be, we can always reclaim it. And yes, I'm right there with you. Leave me a comment and tell me how you cope with life's muddles.

Journey

Don't stop believing

Hold on to that feeling...

The words fade. (As does the first season of Glee that brought this fabulous Journey song back into the limelight. Wasn't that a different world.) However, my journey has been on my mind a lot lately. Especially the long boring years where nothing happened. Work. Home. Sleep. Repeat. Words percolated in my mind, blossoming into themes, stories, fairytales. Even when I was doing something else, like sleeping, they'd wake me up with their insistence. Write me down, they seem to demand. My bedside table has been and always will be the receptacle of forgotten images and once grand ideas. 

Don't stop believing...

In my thirties, my best friend forced me to joining a Writing Group. (Really, I think there was arm-twisting involved, maybe the pulling of teeth.) But sitting down with those women, I knew I would be a part of something good.

Short stories, theme writing, and whatever-caught-my-fancy writing filled the months. Until, “Well, what about Beauty and the Beast?” The idea had been at the back of my mind for years, so long that I'd forgotten it somewhere along the way.

Hold on to that feeling...

A beastly Beauty, so wretched only I could love her. I poured the lonely days of my girlhood, my hopes for tomorrow, my humor, and my frustration with my purposeful but romance-free reality into Bella and her story. The process was cathartic. But when I held a copy of Becoming Beauty in my hands, I had no idea how it would change my self-perception. 

Not only was I a writer, I was an author. And other people knew it. (Not the whole universe, but at least some people were aware of it. And they were happy for me.) It took a while for reality to sink in, but when it did, I saw myself differently. I wasn't just The Best Kindergarten Teacher Ever (really, I do have my days!), I was something more. After having one set of dreams for so long, it was nice that the heavens saw fit to gift me with another.

Just like Bella. 

You never know where a journey will lead until you set your feet on the path. Be brave, try something new and scary (like writing and publishing a book) and see what new avenues open up for you.

For more about my journey, try out: Expect the Unexpected, Ready or Not, My First..., Author Envy, or Meet Your Adoring Public. Happy reading! And as always, thanks for dropping in!

For more about Bella's journey, find her and Becoming Beauty on: 

Amazon

Barnes and Noble

books & things

iTunes

Goodreads