Dreams Come True! My First Launch Day!

Me & My First Traditionally Published Piece!

There's something incredibly surreal about finishing something you've worked so hard to achieve.

It's done. It's in my hand.

The new book smell. The satiny finish of the cover. The flip of the pages. And most importantly that Christmas morning hope.

Logically, I know this won't mean my novels will be purchased tomorrow. But this is also a step toward my dreams, and that excitement resonates so deeply within me I keep grinning at random.

I've already had my first "author" questions, and each time they give me goosebumps. "Where can I buy it?" Digitally at most retailers, Amazon, Kobo, Nook, Apple, etc. but the paperback is on Amazon. "What is it about?" A young woman undergoing a magical shamanistic trial, except she doesn't believe in magic. But her belief doesn't keep her winged faith from finding her. "Are you actually getting paid for it?" Absolutely! "What's your next project?" I actually just submitted another short story to this same publisher. That one's an urban fantasy about gargoyles. I'm hoping to hear back on Sept. 25th. Otherwise, I'm working on a dragon murder mystery novel.

But my favorite question so far has been: "How long did it take you?"

Such a complicated question to answer! Do I count from when I first dreamed of being an author? If so, I've been working on it since my fourth grade teacher, Mr. Summers, showed me writing didn't have to be in essay format. Do I count from the moments I started crafting the world Mattea lives in? As she's (secretly) part of Extresier (and thus on the same world as The Altian Chronicles) I've been worldbuilding since I was seventeen, so years upon years. Do I count from the moment the character Mattea first entered my thoughts? That was more recently, either spring of this year or fall of last year, when I started digging deeper into the 'why now' of my series. Or do I count from when pen hit paper? That only happened sometime in late June.

However I answer though, the truth of it sparks through. A good long while.

Our dreams don't happen over night.

But boy do they sparkle when they come true!