I’m getting published!

This is the blog post I’ve been dying to write since January, when I sent out my very first query letter.

No, that’s not right. It’s been longer than that.

This is the blog post I’ve been dying to write for over a year, since the moment the first draft of Donn’s Hill really started to come together and I realized: I was going to do it. I was going to reach the finish line. After dozens of false starts, a pile of abandoned projects, and occasional debates with myself over the merits of giving up on writing entirely, I was actually going to write a book.

Then I did finish it, and the unthinkable happened: I didn’t hate it. In fact, I was and am extremely proud of it. Despite internet advice to tuck your first novel away in a drawer and never let anyone near it, I decided to share it with the world.

That’s when the madness began. Nine months of querying, which is a pretty brutal rollercoaster ride. Actually, that’s a terrible analogy because I happen to find both the ups and the downs of a rollercoaster to be fun and thrilling. Querying is like ringing the doorbell at a mansion because you hope they might let you join their super rad party, but then a butler answers the door just to tell you that you’re not nearly cool enough to be there.

And that’s if you’re lucky enough to get a rejection.

Sometimes you just wait on the porch forever, peering through the windows at the people inside who are living your dream. And then it starts raining because this is a very melodramatic analogy.

But finally, finally, finally…I found the right mansion at the right time, and the person who answered the door loved my book enough to recommend that her press publish it. And, lo and behold, the publisher agreed and now I HAVE A BOOK DEAL! Immortal Works is going to publish Donn’s Hill!

If you feel like the printed word isn’t doing this news justice, feel free to watch me blubber like a goon in a Facebook Live video when I made the announcement on Thursday:

What Now?

I know you’ve already whipped out your tortoiseshell cat calendar (*cough* Christmas Gift idea for Caryn *cough*) and you’re waiting to ink in the date Donn’s Hill will finally be available to purchase, but you’ll have to wait a teensy bit longer. The book is currently with an editor who’s going to help me make it even better, and then it’ll ping-pong back and forth between me and my editor and my managing editor until it’s truly ready to be read by the masses. Then they have to design a cover, put a marketing plan into motion, prepare for distribution… It’s a big process, but somewhere in there my publisher will pick the perfect date to release Donn’s Hill and you can plan on picking it up through your favorite retailer!

In the meantime, make sure you subscribe to my newsletter so you can keep up-to-date on all the announcements around the release.

Also, I’m putting together a street team! If you love books (and especially if you love reading my books and stories), join us! You’ll be the first group to hear big announcements and get to read excerpts, plus you’ll have the chance to win awesome prizes, all while helping me get the word out about my published works! To sign up for the street team, please click here.

That’s all I’ve got for today, but stay tuned for more exciting news as Donn’s Hill gets closer to publication!