It’s June!
Which means there’s only a select number of days left until my debut novel, A Kiss of Glass, is released into the world!
I’ve spent the last couple of weeks getting proof copies from Amazon, and now the ebook is up for preorders! The paperback can’t be preordered on Amazon, unfortunately, but I am also putting the ebook and paperback up on Barnes and Noble, and they offer preorders for both versions. So once they have been approved and made live, I’ll post the links to this site.
But holy shit, ya’ll! This thing is really happening! This book, the culmination of nearly a decade of hard work and studying, is actually about to be released into the world for people to buy and read. Last week I sent out four ARC copies, and this week I’m sending out six or seven ARCs. It’s just…surreal, seeing where I am now compared to where I was last year at this time.
June of 2022, I had just been laid off from a new job. I was depressed and anxious and upset, and I decided that I would spend as much time as I could on expanding my Cinderella short story retelling into a longer piece of work. I had, I think, nearly completed the rough draft of what I thought would be a novella. I hadn’t yet accepted that the story needed to be a novel, but I was actively working on it. I was revising and editing and asking friends to read it and provide feedback and I was taking that feedback to heart.
And now it’s done.
Moreover, it’s actually in the hands of readers who are going to review it! And even if they hate it, I can say that my book has been read by people I’ve never met in person. I just…I’m in awe of this process and how I feel coming full circle. Because while I am preparing for the launch of this book, I’m also looking forward to the continued drafting of the sequel. I likely won’t actually touch the sequel until after the school year is over, but I am doing everything I can to set up this debut book launch so that I can use my time over the summer to get as much drafting and revising of the sequel done as possible.
My goal is to have the sequel published in June of 2024. We will see if that happens, but having the summer off of work should help. And instead of trying to get my full teaching license, right now I’m going to stay a substitute. It’s simpler. It’s easier (though it’s still not easy), and I can give myself extra time to rest when I need it. I’m in no rush to become a full time teacher. I may never choose to be a full time teacher, and that’s okay.
Thank you so much to those who have followed me on this journey! Big things are coming!
