End the Heartache is published - I finally did it!
Updated: May 11, 2020
Hello, everyone! Welcome to my first blog! I’m so glad you’re here! Today, I just wanted to talk a little bit about my first published novel, End the Heartache. I thought that since it is the first book that I’ve sent out there into the world for you all to read, it should be the first thing I talk about with you.
I came up with the idea for Amber a LONG time ago. She came alive in my brain back in 2012. I knew right away that Amber’s life was just a mess, and I knew she was going to make a lot of bad decisions. I even knew what some of those bad decisions were going to be back then, but after writing maybe 15 pages of her story, I stopped. I just didn’t know her well enough to go further with her story. I couldn’t keep telling her story because I didn’t really know what kind of story she needed to tell. So, I had to set her aside for a few years, and even though I moved on to other writing projects and created many other characters and books, Amber was always in the back of my mind.
As with many of my stories, I would think of her often during those quiet, peaceful drives to my school every morning as I tried to figure her out, but I never went back to add more to the story. I needed to wait for the right moment. It wasn’t until a few years later, just after I had my son, when suddenly her entire life just appeared in my head like a light switch had been flipped on and everything about Amber and Mason was illuminated in complete clarity. Perhaps it was maternity leave that did it. I had lots of time away from work to just take care of my baby and write. There was also the bonus of no major distractions while my husband was away at work. I just sat down and started typing. And I think I had the first draft completed in a matter of 2 weeks or just a little less.
For me, when I know my story completely and the story is ready to be written down, I simply cannot be stopped. My mind thinks faster than my fingers can type, and every distraction is the enemy. I could sit on my couch typing away all day if I could, but of course, that’s not a realistic way to live my life. If that kind of drive and clarity doesn’t happen with a story I am writing, then I know that it isn’t the right timing for that story to be written, and I have to put it on a back burner for a while until the story plot is completely clear in my mind. It’s a sign to me that the characters and plot events are just not right yet. This has happened to me many times, which is why I have so many unfinished books. But complete clarity and focus has happened many times as well, which is why I also have so many completed novels as well just waiting to be published.
I remember that finishing End the Heartache was a huge feat for me at the time because until then, I’d had trouble bringing my books to an ending. I really like reading books in a series because I like to experience the story and the characters for a long time, so when I write, it’s almost as if I don’t want the story to end. Unfortunately, that desire just caused me to have difficulty concluding my novels. But Amber’s story was just so clear right away. I just knew what her story was and where it needed to end. Since then, I haven’t had trouble ending my stories. That’s what makes Amber’s story so significant and important to me. That’s why I chose it as the first one to be published.
I first started working on publishing End the Heartache back in 2018 just after I had a scare when my computer completely died, and I thought that I had lost everything from the previous 3 years. Once I had recovered my hard drive thanks to the wonderful Geek Squad technicians, I immediately began preparing to publish. Even though I self-published the book back then, I didn’t do anything to promote it. I got nervous and shy about it, and I just let it sit there for 2 years. Now, in the light of COVID-19 and plenty of time on my hands to stay at home, I’ve decided that life is too short and there really is no time like the present.
I really want to thank all of you who have read End the Heartache. It is such an encouragement to me to know that there are many people out there who are reading and enjoying what I wrote. It humbles me and excites me at the same time. I’d really like to hear from all of you to know what you think, so if you can, send me a message or leave a review on Amazon so that others can know what you think as well!
I’m working on preparing a few more of my books for publication right now, and I hope to have them published soon. Sign up for my email list, follow my blog, and follow me on Amazon for updates about when I will be publishing my next book!
Have a lovely day everyone!
