That Day I First Became A Published Author

Happy Monday, Y’all! Am I the only one who has like ten thousand things to do this week? I’m excited about seeing what I can accomplish, but also maybe a wee bit overwhelmed when I stop and think about all there is to do.

I’ve been working on getting my book Where Dandelions Grow ready to be released, which has been so rewarding. (And Hey! It’s not too late to sign up to be part of the release team! If you want to read the book for FREE in exchange for a review, you can sign up here.) With the release of a new book, I thought it would be fun to share with y’all part of the story regarding my first book release.

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Cue the year 2013 and I was in the beautiful state of Hawaii with my family. Even though I was throughly enjoying my time there, I was also frantically trying to get everything in place with my book, Cave Secrets of the Pterodactyl. I’d co-authored the book with my adopted parents, and there was a really good chance that it would be published, and the next couple of weeks were the determining factor.

I spent a lot of time on the phone and computer and texting working out small details (like who I wanted to dedicate the book to), without actually knowing if it would be published or not.

Then I awoke early one morning to see I’d received a text from my adopted parents telling me it was a go. I kinda totally flipped out, wondering if I was reading the text correctly. (With the time difference, I’d gotten into the habit of answering texts and then falling back to sleep.) Jumping out of bed I quickly threw some clothes on in the dark – not even knowing if they matched – then slipped out of the hotel room, through the lobby, and onto the path that led down to the beach.

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I called my adopted parents, nearly shaking with excitement (they were the ones dealing with the publishers, so I got all my info from them). When they answered I probably had to ask about ten times before I finally let it sink in that my book was indeed going to be published.

Sitting out on the beach that morning, I talked to them, begging for all the details, and watched as the surf rolled in and out. (See the top picture.) When my adopted parents finally had to get off the phone to go to work, I snapped a selfie that clearly shows that I’d dragged my young-little-braces-self out of a deep sleep to hurry down to the beach. 😉 Really though, although I’m not generally a fan of selfies, this one will always hold a special place in my heart because it’s when and where I learned that my published-author-dream was coming true. (And, this also ended up being the first picture of myself I ever showed on Noveltea, because until that time I hadn’t posted any pictures of myself online.)

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After we got home a few days later I signed the contact for the book, and the dream was underway.

My author-ish life didn’t explode after that like I thought it would, but it was a good beginning. I got to attend some conferences/hang out at the Creation Museum bookstore and do book signings. I’ve gone places and randomly seen the book in bookstores. I’ve met fans of the book, which still feels incredible.

And now I’m about to release my fourth book. (Two self-published, two traditionally published.) I’m still a bit in awe over the fact that I get to be a writer. It’s not always fun. It’s not always easy. It’s not always what I feel like doing at the moment. It’s hard. And discouraging at times. And quite crazy.

But it’s worthwhile. It’s a dream come true. And I’m so thankful that this is my dream – that this is what I get to do.

16 thoughts on “That Day I First Became A Published Author”

  1. haileyhudson says:
    Reply

    That is so so exciting! My first book was published this summer, and like you, I can recall exactly where I was and what I was doing when I found out the news. Seeing your dreams come true inspires me to keep writing.

    Liked by 1 person

          • Sarah says:
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            It’s a fantasy allegorical fiction, with a bit of robin hood and the sword and the stone mixed in.
            Sloppy Blurb:
            “War has ravaged the Rim Earth, the fires of destruction leaving nothing in it’s path. The last of remnants of Westerners are slowly being forced back into the mountains under the Emperor’s cruel reign. The great dragon-riders and rangers of old have vanished, out of memory and time.
            And now the Emperor learns the location of his long-lost heir, and discovers the boy’s hidden talent–a Firemaster.
            Hounded by the wolves of the north and the armies of the south, Ky finds himself forced to take up a mighty quest–fulfill an ancient prophesy, right his terrible wrongs, and find the Prince’s sword–said to be deep in the heart of strange and deadly forest of Shadowfen.”

            Sorry for such a long comment! My stories the story of salvation, but in a fantasy setting..it might seem a bit dark, but I’m trying to highlight the fight between Good and Evil as strongly as I can. 🙂 😉

            Liked by 1 person

  4. Bekah says:
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    That’s so awesome. I find it so refreshing to go back and remember the times where God has been so good and faithful to us as His children. I can only imagine the thrill of that morning!

    -Bekah

    Liked by 1 person

    • Lydia Howe says:
      Reply

      Amen and amen! It’s also good for me to remind myself of stories like that when times get hard with writing, because sometimes a little encouragement goes a long way!

      Like

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