Finding the heart to write again

I love writing. There’s never been a question about that, but I had no idea that it’s been a full 3 years since I published anything. Yes, I wrote and completed, with editing, the first book in a new series TWICE–like 2 TOTALLY different first books–for the exact same series. Completed and edited both.

I just couldn’t get myself to hit publish on either of them.

The reasons for this just became apparent to me as I made the decision to really start writing again, not just for me or that one reader, but for all the readers out there. I had to face a lot of truths to come back and decide to do this again.

I had lost the heart to write because I couldn’t just write. I now had to do a lot more to get my books into readers’ hands.

I published my first book in 2011 and it took off. My Watched trilogy stayed in the top 100 of Amazon for five long years and every book I published until 2019 did too. I didn’t have to do anything to promote it—Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Apple, and Smashwords took care of all of it.

When 2019 hit or even a little before, it became a new ball game. It became pay-to-play. That simply meant that if I wanted my book to be seen by readers, I had to advertise. Truth be told, I hated it. I no longer only had the job of writing, but now I had to become a marketer too. Looking back, I can see that…

When things are easy, we learn nothing.

To grow and learn, we must have things we fail at. And at the point of failure, we have to look at it as a lesson and then move forward and change in order to learn the lesson.

Honestly, it shocked me to discover the ebook of Kate Unleashed wasn’t live on any reading platforms. Hadn’t I published that at the same time I published the print version? That’s what I always had done.  Apparently not. This was the last book in a series, and it had been 3 long years since the previous book had been released.

I glanced at my rankings—like way out there in the millions. MILLIONS! A lot had changed in the last 3 years. (And for those of you who don’t know—when it comes to rankings, you want to get as close to 1 as possible.) So many people are publishing books. It’s incredible and beautiful and daunting.

Seeing the number kinda made me want to run back into my hole. How could I get seen in that huge sea books? Advertising. Boo. It was such a dark word in my vocabulary. I had to buck it up and change my mind. Mind work is so important when it comes to making lasting changes in my life. Instead of saying I hate advertising. My book is invisible, I can say, with advertising, my book can become visible. And then after that baby step say, my book is easily visible. What a blessing that with all the books coming out each day, I can still make my book seen.

I had to change my perspective. I’m still learning and this ads business is no easy hill to climb, but I’m putting my feet on the ground and going for it, hoping to make a lot of mistakes fast so that I can get to celebrations sooner.

The bottom line is that I want to serve my readers. I want to give them books that will frustrate them, excite them, thrill them, teach them, give them an escape, and an adventure. I want them to adore each book and make them eager to read each page.

To do that, I have to be visible.

I have to change. I have to grow and become a great marketer along with being a great writer. There’s no way around it and I will climb the mountain and greet you all at the top with hugs and shouts of joy.

If you are new to me, let me tell you about my books-

I write fast-paced action and adventure YA books with a dash of clean romance.

Welcome.

And I hope you LOVE my books. 🙂

If you are a series lover- try either the Watched series or the Code of Silence series. Both are packed with action and adventure and that dash of romance.

Watched- Murder was Just the Beginning

Code of Silence-Seventeen-year-old Kate has never stopped searching for the secrets of her past—the secrets that began with her missing birth parents.