It’s the FINAL COUNTDOWN!

The countdown has begun. Today marks ONE MONTH until the digital release of my debut novel, BEAUTIFUL ADDICTIONS. I can’t put into words how excited and terrified I am. I know what you’re thinking. I’m a writer. I should be able to put anything into words. Well, okay. I’ll try.

The ebook will be released by St. Martin’s Griffin on January 28, 2014. This is three years from the day that I started a rough outline (really just a list of characters and their purpose) for this story. It still blows me away how this story formed, and with the help of pre-readers and so many kind folks, evolved into the tale it is now. I cannot honestly tell you how many versions there are of this story. I have no idea how many words were cut or rewritten. As a new writer, I didn’t have the foresight to save each version. Instead, I deleted sentences without a second thought. Those words are gone forever, each of them chipped off and carved away to leave the very best story I could write.

I grew so much during that time and even more so during the publication process. The thing about this career is you never stop learning. You can always practice and improve. I strive to do that as much as possible.

No matter how ready I think I am, I know nothing can prepare me for the moment BEAUTIFUL ADDICTIONS is put out into the world. I imagine ten thousand pairs of eyes on me, all at once, waiting for me to say something clever and dissecting every move. Instead, I’ll keep my mouth closed and hand over this book–this very personal part of me, this voice inside my head. Imagine yourself naked in front of supermodels in florescent lighting after a day of binge drinking. That’s the thrilling, sick feeling that I fear may plague me for the rest of my career.

So, with a month to go, I’m going to dig in and work my ass off. I’ll guest blog, do interviews, promote giveaways and tell my story to anyone who wants to hear it. I hope you don’t get tired of hearing from me. Because no matter what happens, I am proud of this novel. If it does well, I’ll have earned it. If not, I’ll have earned that too. Write on!

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