Michelle Balge's Blog

First Book Blogger Review

Here is the first review I’ve received from a book blogger (Megan of Soul Meets Books)!

A snippet: “This was one of the most powerful stories I have ever read. It’s one of those books that I feel will always be with me.”

I encourage you to read through the whole review, as she shares a personal story of something she experienced soon after reading the book. I’m finding it difficult to find the words for how happy I am that this book was able to make such an impact.

https://soulmeetsbooks.wor...

Proofs & IngramSpark Review

Hi all,

I got the paperback and hardcover proofs of my memoir in the mail! Overall I’m really happy with how they turned out, and I just need to have a final round of proofreading and fix any formatting issues.

If you’re interested in using IngramSpark as a printer and distributer, here is my review:

I love the feel and look of the matte cover. It’s velvety like I’ve read in some other reviews, and you don’t see fingerprints. There are a couple weird marks on the front of each cover that I s...

Final Cover Reveal

Here’s the cover reveal!!

 

 

This cover is very different from my original, yet it conveys the message I’ve been trying to portray all along: hope.

This beautiful watercolour flower demonstrates the beauty that is beyond the pain of depression and anxiety. All the tears that I cried allowed for a beautiful flower of self-love, happiness, and hope, to grow. You can see the blue petals as representing teardrops/raindrops that were needed to grow the rest of the flower, and of course you need water to create the watercolour effect.

The title in the centre shows that when you find your way out, there is beauty and light all around.

I hope this cover resonates as well with you as it has for me, and thank you Jenny for your amazing work.

 

Love always,

Michelle

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CAMH Donations

I have some news to share!

This has been the plan for many months now (we’re talking since I started writing) but I never asked permission if it was okay for me to share… well, I finally asked since I decided it’s something I am going to tell people.

I will be donating 10% of all profits from book sales to CAMH (Centre for Addiction and Mental Health). I’ll sign an agreement soon so I can donate the money to a specific area, and it’s most likely that I’ll decide on patient care.

The idea of donating a portion of profits came from Melissa, and I knew right away it was an amazing idea and what organization I wanted the money to go toward. CAMH welcomed me into their social anxiety group therapy program years ago, and it was such a huge help.

In addition to my book helping others through my words, I hope that the donations will help in their care as well.

Love always,

Michelle

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Proofreading, endorsements, and designs, oh my!

Hey all,

Things are coming along well with the book

Making a Difference

Last night I gave a speech to the community in Burlington. I shared my experience with mental health, as I have done before, but I was more emotional than I had been in the past. When I present in front of family, my story evokes more emotions inside me, but something was different this time. My dad and boyfriend were sitting in the front row, and I stared at them as I said my speech. I hadn’t stared at them in the past, at least not for nearly as long, and I had to take a couple pauses to prevent myself from crying.

I’m so thankful that I got the opportunity to share my mental health experience once again. It’s absolutely terrifying going into it, with an upset stomach, shaky legs, and fears of messing up, but the outcome is so incredibly worth it. When people come up to me afterward thanking me for sharing my story or telling me how it resonated with them, it makes my day. And week. And month. And more so.

All I want to do by sharing my story, whether it be by the spoken or written word, is to make a difference. To have people get something out of it. To understand something they didn’t before, or finally feel like they are not alone.

I hope I made a difference last night, which it looks like I did, and I aspire to continue to do so.

 

Love always,

Michelle

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Graduation

My graduation this past Friday went really well, and that means that the book is getting super close to being completed! I wrote the final version this weekend and have handed it to my editor to polish it off.

Next week marks the beginning of proofreading and cover design, which is super exciting

Changes

Hi all,

I know it’s been a long time since last posting and I apologize for that! I’ve been busy with school, work and the book, so it has not been forgotten. With the memoir, I have been having second thoughts about the cover for the last while. I feel like it doesn’t pop enough with the colour and there’s just something ‘missing’. I’ve played around with cover alternatives, but all of these too have that ‘missing’ feeling. I’ve contacted a professional cover designer to help and she’s going to redesign the cover for me. I really didn’t want to do this before, but I’ve learned that I need to let go of the reigns a bit and allow cover designers to do what they do best; design covers. There’s a lot that goes into it and with my abilities I can’t get the cover to where I want it to be.

So, be prepared for another cover reveal, but this time the final cover reveal. Second time’s a charm, or whatever that saying is :P.

Since it’s my graduation soon, that means A Way Out is almost done being written and ready to go through the final editing stage. I then have several proofreaders that will ensure nothing has been missed.

A lot of stuff will be happening these next few months and I plan on updating you regularly as I used to

The Publication Date is…

A release date has been decided!! I will be publishing A Way Out on Tuesday February 27th, 2018. This is when I feel everything will be completely ready and there will have been enough time to notify media and more. It will be available in paperback, hardcover and ebook format.

For the ‘more’ part of notifying people, I’m going to contact many authors, journalists, speakers and doctors, all that focus on mental health or have experienced mental illness. I have a long list. Hopefully I can get at least one person to read my memoir and put a blurb of what they’ve said on the cover. If/once I get a blurb from someone then I’ll be able to order my first proof (a physical copy to ensure everything looks right) by January.

Currently, the majority of the memoir is almost done being edited. As I’ve said before, I still need to wait until October for graduation to finish the final chapter and then all the editing will be completed soon after. Since I’m going to school in September I’m hoping to have most of the interior formatting done before I begin classes. For what I don’t have time to do, I’ll finish in September and early October. Because the formatting will be done sooner than later, that means right after the final chapter is edited in mid-late October I’ll be ready for proofreaders who will get a full copy of the book (ebook or PDF), possibly in its final state if no mistakes are found!

I’m so glad that things are running smoothly, and I’m hoping that with the release date being the end of February rather than earlier, it will accommodate for anything that may go wrong or take more time than anticipated.

Love always,

Michelle

PS: Just a note about the cover, I’ve changed it slightly, but some of you may not even notice a difference. These images show the updated version.

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Cover Reveal

Here is the cover of A Way Out!

The meaning behind the cover is to inspire hope. I originally was going for something more dark, but the title already lets you know it’s going to be that way. I want the cover to evoke mostly positive emotions with its colours, though the teardrop is a sad symbol. I cried a lot during my depression and from social anxiety, so it represents all the tears I’ve cried. Tears are most often now from happiness unless I’m watching a movie or intense tv show.

You could also choose to see this as rain, being the storm in my mind. I had a dark cloud of depression over me and many times it felt as if it would never go away. This cover shows that the cloud is gone.

No matter how you choose to interpret it, the message is still clear. There is hope.

 

Love always,

Michelle

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