Launch Day

August 8th, 2016—It’s the day I've been waiting for!2:45AM (because living in PST doesn’t always have it’s benefits)—I finalize my newsletter, inserting links to the USA Today, HEA interview and seeing if any other interviews I had done had been posted. Knowing my book has been live for several hours, I check to see if I’ve sold any books.A few.I’m bummed, for a few seconds, until I remember that most of the country is still asleep. It’s hard to make purchases when you’re asleep—although I have been known to do so.3:45AM—Back to bed I go, but not back to sleep. This is launch day! My book baby is now available to everyone. It’s exciting and scary—mostly exciting. I put my earphones in and listen to relaxing music until I fall asleep.6:45AM-Kids are up. They don’t care that it’s Launch Day. They’re hungry. I put on workout clothes and go get donuts. I mean, hey, it’s Launch Day! Calories don’t count on Launch Day. Especially if you’re wearing yoga pants.7:30AM—We eat our donuts, and now kids are wired. Climbing the walls. Literally. I check on my sales and reply to comments. Seems people are actually starting to buy my book. Eeeek!9:00AM—Laundry doesn’t care that it’s Launch Day, and frankly I don’t care about laundry. It’s piled high in the laundry room, and my son is out of underwear. Sigh. I do one load.10:00AM—Put baby down for a nap, think about actually working out since I am still in the correct dress, but decide to sit on the couch and watch Henry Danger with the kids.10:01AM—Fall asleep.10:25AM—Ten-year-old wakes me up. She’s mad because eight-year-old is breathing too loud. I tell eight-year-old to stop breathing. and then I go check social media. I feel overwhelmed by my amazing friends and family who are sharing the news of my book.12:00PM—Time to do a Facebook Live video. I curl my hair, except it doesn’t want to curl. Whatever. I put on some makeup and a nice shirt (still sporting my workout pants) and find good lighting in my daughter’s room. Crap, what to do with the kids. Text babysitter. She can’t come. Bribe kids with candy to stay downstairs for 10 minutes.12:15PM—Do Live Facebook video. I’m nervous. As I’m filming I can see how many people are watching. That’s great and scary all in the same breath. The Internet connection is spotty, going in and out. I lose my spot in my book, but still manage to finish without embarrassing myself too much. Phew. That wasn’t so bad. Facebook decides to use a freeze-frame picture of me with my eyes closed and a double chin for the cover photo. Great. Thanks, Facebook.1:00PM—Time to pay on my bribe. Off to Target we go. The kids can each pick out a candy and a toy because, hey, it’s Launch Day, and it’s just as much their day as it is mine. As we stroll through the toy section, the world starts to go fuzzy. Crap. I haven’t had anything to eat since the donut! I can’t do that. Blood sugar is dropping—fast. I need food—pronto. Check my bag for Glucose Tablets. Realize they’re on the kitchen counter. Great. Go to food court. Kid working the register is taking way too long. The world is really getting fuzzy. My thoughts are starting to blur, but I still manage to order most everything on the menu. I grabbed an Icee and took a few sips until my blood sugar rose and I could continue to make decisions again. Phew.1:30PM—Driving home. On the 101 North bound freeway when a rake falls off the back of a truck and comes flying towards my car. Crap! I glanced in my mirror. Clear. I swerved out of the way. That could have been so bad.1:45PM—We get home, thankfully, because that was a dangerous trip. I’m still shaking from the rake we narrowly escaped. Check Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and sales. Not too bad.2:00PM—The cleaners show up. It’s not their week, nor is it their day, their scheduled got mixed up but I nearly cry because I am so happy they are here and my laundry room is waiting, because my son is still out of underwear.3:00-5:00PM—Put the phone, computer and iPad away. Jump on trampoline, push kids on swing, and step in dog poop. Then husband comes home. I give him a kiss and a hug and then go take a nap. I’m tired.6:15PM—I’m up and getting ready. Husband made kids dinner (well, a restaurant made kids dinner, same thing) and we get ready to go out.7:30PM—At the Melting Pot. Our waiter is super frazzled. Probably because he’s not used to waiting on a famous author like myself. Ha! Kidding. But he messes up our order, several times, but who cares? It’s Launch Day and being a waiter is hard.9:30 PM—Time to go. Launch Day is almost over. I pull my phone out and sneak a peek under the table while Husband is paying the bill. “Holy Crap!” I yell. Oops. We’re in public. “Holy crap,” I whisper. People are buying my book. They’re really buying my book.9:45PM—We go home and I fall asleep, because launch day is awesomely exhausting.When I wake I find this-And I nearly scream.---Launch Day was a surreal blend of positive emotions. It was a hard journey, but so worth it.I hope you all get the chance to experience the pure joy of watching your dream become a reality.If you want to get your copy ofFor Rentyou can do sohere. Also available on iTunes and Barnes and Noble.