My Second Book Baby

Nav’Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin is only days away from publishing!

I am extremely proud of both of my novels, but in different ways. If you have connected with me before, you know that book one was an arduous process, but if you’re new to Nav’Aria here’s a little more about my #writingjourney.

 

 

Taken from a recent Facebook & Instagram post:

I’ve met some wonderful new readers at events recently, and the same questions keep popping up. “How long have you been writing?” or “How long did it take you to write this book?”

I always laugh (and if you’re familiar with my story you know why). Nav’Aria: The Marked Heir took me 8 YEARS, while Nav’Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin took me just 3 MONTHS!!!

Initially writing was “JUST my hobby”. I started the book on a whim in 2011… but it wasn’t serious. It was a fun outlet, and I secretly hoped that “someday” it could be something. Yet I didn’t really think much of it… at least not at first. I was a recent college grad, newlywed, and new teacher. I was traveling internationally. I was chasing after the life I thought I wanted. Now hear me, I did want it. I loved it! Teaching high school history was one of my greatest joys, and I believe it shaped me as an individual, and now as a parent. But the dream of writing and publishing Darion’s story was always there too hidden away.

Once we met our daughter in 2017 everything changed. I took a break from teaching to help her acclimate to her new home/life/family and realized that I now related to some of my characters. You see, Nav’Aria has a lot of adoption themes. I’ve always loved older kids and adoption and that is felt in my writing, so to see it then playing out in my home was truly inspiring.

As many of you know, I pumped out the rest of the novel in a 2-week span in 2017 (NUTS!), and then began exploring the world of query letters, traditional vs indie publishing, and all that good stuff. Fast forward, Nav’Aria: The Marked Heirpublished on Jan 1st, 2019. So, there you go. The journey has given me an interesting perspective and story on its own.

Book two though, is a whole different beast. 😊 Rachel Hollis, author and influencer, often says, “Go all in!” I decided to do just that. And I did it. THIS YEAR while riding the publishing/promotional waves, and unexpectedly having to homeschool my daughter, I wrote the sequel… in 3 months!

By March, I had finished the first draft of Nav’Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin and began my revisions, then it headed to my early beta readers, then to my editor, back to me for rewrites, back to the editor  for proofreading, then to another beta reader, then to the formatter. That’s allllll been approved, and now we’re awaiting the paperback “author copy”. Once I get the greenlight on that, we’re in business!

So, this novel was written, edited, and WILL PUBLISH ALL IN 2019. Like… what?! For 8 years I trudged along with a manuscript, thinking I’d never finish it, or be able to do it again. And now I’ve done it. I’ve completed two books.

I’m telling you all of this for a couple of reasons….

First, I am darn proud of my #writingjourney.

I learned SO much during the writing/publishing process with book one. And with book two, I was able to put what I had learned to the test. And you know what, it’s a better product. It’s better writing. It’s been a smoother process. All of it is BETTER. But it couldn’t have happened without the painstakingly slow and bumpy ride I had with book one. This is what we call GROWTH.

 

 

Second, you may not be a writer but I hope you can still take it from me, “GOING ALL IN” and believing in a dream is worth it!

It probably won’t be easy, but if you want something bad enough, I have a feeling you’ll keep after it as many other DREAMERS have. Think of your favorite musician, athlete, writer, public speaker… rarely does someone get handed their dream on a silver platter. Those dreamers had to put in the time and learn from each set-back along the way. So try… and know that you’ll fail or mess up, but that’s okay. Because the next time you go to do something, it will be a little bit better. Just as Thomas Edison said, “I have not failed. I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work,” so too can we learn from every mistake and crush those goals.

I hope you enjoy my second book baby Nav’Aria: The Pyre of Tarsin. I am excited to share much more with my upcoming novel (the conclusion of the Nav’Aria trilogy), and to see where this book leads me next on my writing journey.

 

“A man must be big enough to admit his mistakes, smart enough to profit from them, and strong enough to correct them.” -John Maxwell