Good news! I’ve ordered the paperback proof; it should be here by Friday. I’m excited to see and hold the book in my hands. If everything looks alright, I will release the book for purchase! Although, I might wait until the eBook is ready and release them together. The cover (which I still haven’t shared) is bright, happy, beautiful, and amazing. I have no idea how he captured exactly what it needed to be.

Thanks to my brother for helping me upload the cover and interior files to CreateSpace. My computer just wasn’t having it. I tried for three days, kept getting an error message to check my internet connection. Of course, my brother uploaded the files in under two minutes, while he was feeding my niece lunch. He said maybe I just needed to switch to another browser like Safari instead of Firefox. Computers are not my specialty.

Ryan will do the eBook conversion when he returns from vacation the week of April 4th. I heard back from CreateSpace today, in less than 12 hours, that the files passed inspection and I could order the proof copy. I didn’t cry. I’ve cried so many tears, I’m trying to be a big girl, lol. I’m probably going to cry when I’m holding the book in my hands. I will take some pictures and share them. Hopefully, I can stop being such a scaredy cat.

To make a long story short, don’t be afraid of self-publishing. If I can figure it out, anyone can. I’m doing what I thought I couldn’t do, and that’s the best feeling in the world. The feeling of accomplishment. Being proud of what I have created. Sharing a message of hope. Seeing my dream become a reality. I believed in myself and trusted my intuition. Let’s not forget the most important element … magic.

Yes, the process has been nerve-wracking at times, and I questioned whether I was making the right decision. It is a monetary investment. I’ve had to choose, organize, and manage the editing, formatting, and cover design, which would’ve been handled by the publisher. But I had total control and learned how the process works from the inside out. Traditional publishing takes longer. I had already spent so many years hem-hawing around that it was time to get serious.

I just realized I haven’t blogged since March 17th. Writing is my guilty pleasure, much like Sour Cream and Onion Pringles. I need to blog more often. I tend to wait until the words are ready rather than forcing them. I’ve been busy making the final corrections, there were five pages, once he typeset the manuscript several weird spacing things occurred. There was something in each section that needed to be fixed. Looking forward to the day when it truly is the final read though. It will be your first read through, I hope you enjoy it! 🙂

Have a good week,

Julie