Dreams do come true, when you work for them. Today, Quarantine Stories launched in print edition for sale. I would imagine that any time that any author put out a book, self-published or otherwise, it’s a big deal. To me, today means so much more than simply putting my work out into the world, which is a big deal in it’s own right.
I am reminded of the first chapter book I ever read, it was the book Sox by Beverly Cleary. I was in third grade, and had struggled to learn how to read. I wasn’t diagnosed with dyslexia until I repeated the second grade. I simply could not read. I remember walking out of school that day, and I can still see the goldenrod color of the book, and feel its cotton weave texture under my little fingers. The reason that this memory jogs today, is because it was the first time I ever read an entire chapter book. It was also the first time I read for entertainment, and enjoyed reading.
Fast forward to today, and I have published a book of my very own. Typing the words, I still cannot believe it. I had an entire marketing plan set in place and a series of blog posts about how to go about the process from a first-timer. Amazon, jumped the shark this morning and set the book for sale. Immediately upon receiving the email that the book was live, the marketer in me panicked. What about the marketing plan? Wait, not yet!
My inner Dude (Big Lebowski Reference) was like, it’s live so roll with it. So here we are. Quarantine Stories as a book is live and for sale…. holy shit!
The print edition has 5 additional stories that were not published along with juicy and sweet tidbits added to the original 20 stories. There is a print edition and an ebook edition (the ebook edition should be live within the next 24 hours) for sale on Amazon. This morning when I got the email and clicked on the link, and my book popped up I literally screamed and then began to cry. My kids who are doing elearning were in the room when this happened. Concerned, they rushed over to my desk and I explained to them that they were witnessing a dream come true, a dream I’ve worked hard for, and one I will continue to put all of my efforts behind.
I am a published author. Those words are powerful to me, and perhaps my biggest accomplishment to date.
If you’d like to purchase a copy of Quarantine Stories in print or in an eBook format, you can do so here.
In closing I would like to recognize a few people along the way who helped me get here. Success does not happen in a vacuum, so I share this momentous day with each of these individuals. To my amazing husband, who is my biggest cheerleader, bullshit detector, and excuse eliminator- Thank you for shoving me into self publishing. To my little sister who is an amazing writer as well, and an old-salt when it comes to self-publishing thank you for your continued support, and feedback from the first story until 10 pm. cover design conversations. I could not have done this without you. To my adopted mother Linda Dickey, thank you for giving me that first piece of feedback I ever had, “Describe the feeling of the shag rug under back.” That advice still makes me chuckle and I remember it every time I write. Linda, thank you for being an amazing editor and making sense of my word vomit. Lastly, to the Writing Community on Twitter, thank you for pushing me to self-publish Quarantine Stories. You all are always there to give honest feedback, and share in the journey.
