
I love the mountains - it's not coincidence that Luna lived in a cave in the mountains. The beauty and majesty of the peaks, the colors of the leaves in the fall or wildflowers in the spring, the sparkle of sunshine on a mountain lake - everything about the mountains brings me peace; even driving the twisty mountain roads. Okay, well, maybe I feel peace once we have gotten through the twisty mountain road, but then I turn around and look back on it and reflect on the excitement of trekking up and down through the mountain passes, the breathtaking views overlooking the valleys, and the anticipation of getting to our destination.
2022 has been like a twisty mountain road. It started with excitement and anticipation for The Dream Fairy to be completed, printed, and shipped. But, then there were dips and drops, twists and turns, as the books were delivered and I realized I had start selling them.
I wrote my last blog post in the summer. I had just received two pallets of boxes full of The Dream Fairy. Hundreds of books were sitting in my home office and I was frozen. I had always imagined releasing my book, but when the reality came I realized how scary it actually was to put myself out there. What if people don't like it? What if I can't sell it? What if.. what if... what if... This was where the mountain road felt very treacherous, without a guardrail to protect me from the steep cliff on the side of the road.
I held onto the books for awhile, doubting myself and the book, before finally announcing to friends and family that I had published a children's book. But, when I did, it was so encouraging when I started getting orders and words of encouragement. Family, friends, coworkers and even people that I hadn't talked to in years showed support and bought a book, shared my post, or followed my Facebook or Instagram. It was exciting and I'm so grateful to everyone. This was one of those moments on the road where you're so enamored by the beauty, you temporarily forget how scary the drive is.
Since then, my road has gone up and down. It has been both scary and beautiful. I have stepped outside my comfort zone in so many ways - I generally am not a social media person, but here I am trying to post consistently. I am an introvert, but have walked into local bookstores to share The Dream Fairy and ask them to carry copies of the book. I set up a booth at the school Fall Festival, I did a storytime during our town's annual Starlighting event, I participated in an online Christmas Market... I have realized this year that writing the stories and working with the professionals at Book Bridge Press to create the book was the easy part. Marketing and selling is a whole other story though! This is like climbing up a very, very steep section of the road, but I know what's at the top and so I shift the car into gear and continue to drive.
I'm excited for 2023, although I know the road will continue to twist and turn, I also know that I will learn and grow. I want to continue to share The Dream Fairy with the world and write more stories in the background. Thank you to everyone for your support!
(By the way, if you're ever stuck, I recommend reading Finish: Give Yourself the Gift of Done by Jon Acuff. I felt like the author was reading my mind, and really opened my eyes to reasons why I was delaying the release of my book. The very specific and realistic recommendations to push forward were just what I needed to take the last steps needed to bring my dream to reality.)
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