Book Published!! :)

November 15, 2024 

So, I wrote a book. :) There's so much I could say about it. 

On January 5, 2022 I started a book. I've always loved writing, but hadn't ever been serious about it, and I honestly didn't even know if it would go anywhere. So I did it just for me. I didn't plan on letting anyone read it, ever. Cause guys, the vulnerability is REAL. But I wanted to finish a book.

A few months into it my plot had changed in major ways more than three times, and I was stuck at 35,000 words and more frustrated than ever. I had more words in my "cuts" folder than I did in my acutal book. I thought that maybe my goal of 100,000 words was too much. But I bounced ideas off Jeremy and kept writing. I know his complete support and confidence in me are some of the biggest reasons I finished. We even wrote a chapter together, which was so fun, he's a lot more "action-focused" than me so I appreciate his perspective. I also watched a semester's worth of creative writing classes by Brandon Sanderson on YouTube while I made dinner every night. All of that helped me keep going. Once I reached 50,000 words I thought maybe I really could do it. So I made a goal to finish my first draft before January 5, 2023 (one year mark!), and hoped that was realistic. I spent hours upon days upon weeks writing this book, and at the end of November that year, I finished my first draft. By mid-December I finished my first major revision. 

I'll never forget the feeling of typing my first THE END. 

The published title is "Bounty Hunter" and it has done better than I ever expected, it officially released November 15, 2024. 

I took marketing courses, started social media pages, researched how to find a cover designer and commissioned a cover, a fantasy map, and character art. I hired an editor, I built a website, networked with authors and bookstagrammers and literally started a business. It has been hard, really hard, in some ways, but I received overwhelming support and I'm so grateful. I'm really proud of myself, this is something I didn't know if I'd ever do, and I DID IT. I have had so many people reach out to me, thanking me for writing clean books that still have tension and chemistry, and so many are telling me they NEED book two, haha. I plan to publish book two (Queen of the Night) in November 2025. 

I set Bounty Hunter aside for a year while I worked on book two, then at the beginning of the year last year I pulled it back out and started another round of revisions. It was at that point I decided to publish. Here are some pictures of some of my marketing graphics!

A friend of mine also threw me a launch party and it turned out incredible!! We had a three hour long Q&A about my book, haha. Every author's dream. 

My official author photo!

Author Crystal Frost who I was able to meet in real life!! She's the sweetest.

The first proof copy of my first book!!

Interior art in the hardcover.

Jeremy holding the proof copy with the dedication to HIM. :)

Interior map!

My "swag" that I mail to people who buy signed copies and bookstagrammers that I work with.

We forgot to get a picture earlier in the evening, but we had around 20 people show up!! These ladies stayed until the VERY end, haha. So grateful for their support. Cherie Fonnesbeck (to my right in the pic) is the one who hosted and I appreciate her SO MUCH.