Honesty & A Book Release

Happy Sunday, everyone. I’ve lost my husband to Football season, the sun is shining despite the high winds and I’ve locked myself inside my home as ten wild turkeys circle around my yard, waiting to eat me.

Somewhere Along the Way released last Tuesday, September 24 while I was at my nephew’s wedding in Vancouver. Those who know me know that I typically run away on my Release Days – I’ve been in Paris, Hongkong, London, New York during my various book releases, mostly due to my incessant need to fling these books across the fence and forget about them. I mean, obviously, when you’re a competitive, high performance-obsessed person like me, that doesn’t really make sense.

But I try.

Somewhere Along the Way released at #10 overall in the Kobo books categories, and ranked as low as  #3 just a few days after release. This took me completely by surprise for many reasons. First, this book is not on the Amazon platform. You know, the platform that 99% of those of us in the book world like to use. Second, this book is only available in eBook format and the paperback rights are just now in the process of being acquired. So, you can imagine my shock when this book started trending despite its birth within a new platform and with a new audience.  

I left the crazy, loving, messy book world that I tried so hard to be a part of after eight long years. For reasons I can only surmise, I didn’t really fit in with those who wrote and marketed their books full time. I have a job that requires 110% of me, and writing has always taken a conscious, intended backseat in my life. Bigger authors helped smaller authors, but somehow to them, I didn’t fit into a category that needed assistance or support. Diverse authors of my own race helped each other, wrote together, but somehow, never thought to include me. My readers from 2014 have also grown up. Many have families, babies, and even careers. I am proud to have witnessed the growth of the women in our reading group, and I understand that reading has become less of a priority for all of us.

I also realized that I have more success in this universe than most, and that my career is far more important to me than gaining friends on social media. For the past few years, I have refocused my efforts on true friendships, on keeping in touch with my mentors, on developing my leadership abilities by being authentic about what is important to me. And what is important to me is the impact I have made in my professional life and my life outside of all of this with my family and my friends.

And so far, I have no regrets at all. Those that have stayed with me throughout this change in priorities, are the ones that I’m here for.

And the reviews. (Well, save for a few readers who did not like the story) The reviews have been amazing.

If I had any advice for all the young writers out there – it would be to write with humility, to write because you love to do it and because you have something to say. Don’t worry too much about all that noise around you, of making bestseller lists and selling books. Because if there’s one thing you’ll all learn as time goes by – is that your work will always speak for you. 2023 and 2024 have been years of awards, offers, opportunities and accolades – but these are the fruits of the investments I made to become better at my craft years and years and years ago.  Like fine wine, or waiting to be awarded a Birkin, everything takes time.

THANK YOU to all the readers, bloggers, friends and family who continue to make me want to keep writing, whether to an audience of one or an audience of a hundred. I think the lesson here is that wanting something more than anything in the world can strip you of your identity and purpose. That allowing the universe to work the magic of its intentions for you can go a longer, better and healthier way.

Thank you for your love and support, and for sticking around with me. This was such an amazing Release Day and I owe it all to you.

I hope to have more good news for you in the coming weeks.