I had my first book launch party this past Saturday, and it far exceeded my expectations. It was just a small gathering with family, close friends, and supportive coworkers, but I received so much love from everyone who showed up. The blunder of my paperbacks not being available for people to buy was barely an issue at all because people were there simply to celebrate this accomplishment with me.

About an hour into the party, after I had a chance to catch up with people and direct everyone to the snacks and beverages we had provided, I gathered everyone up to read the first eight pages of my book. I didn’t want the reading to last too long, especially because we had a lot of small children, my baby and all her cousins, who were antsy to drag their parents back outside, but I was able to get through the introduction to the main characters and the set up to the overall conflict of the story. 

Everyone really liked the reading and many were surprised at just how much they enjoyed my writing. And then, at the suggestion of my husband, we had a Q&A session, which I thought was going to make me feel anxious, but it actually felt really good getting to share my writing process and experiences with everyone. It made me realize just how big of a deal self-publishing a book was and how proud everyone in my life was of me.

There was a time when I felt so afraid of even just the thought of people reading my writing, but now I am thoroughly excited. I cannot wait to hear what people think of it, the good and the not-so-good, and be able to talk about this story in more detail with others. For so long, my stories and writing in general have been just locked away inside my head, or just shared between me and one or two super close people, but now I can share them with the world.

It is so freeing and wonderful, and I feel truly blessed to have had the support with my writing I’ve had over the years. I’m so glad I followed through with my dream of being an author, and what’s even more exciting, this is just the beginning!