Best Boutique Ever!

Hi everyone. I have to start by apologizing for taking this long to update my blog. As my mother has pointed out many times, I have this bad habit of taking on too much responsibility, and priorities had to be chosen these past few months. The latest news on Book Three is that I'm almost halfway done with it. For some reason, the creative process is taking longer with this novel, but I think you'll love it when it's done.

Thanksgiving is coming up this Thursday, so the timing of this post is appropriate. Some of my friends have already listened to me complain about writer's block several times, but I haven't complained half as much as I wanted to this year. The fact is that this is the first time I've tried to write a book on top of a full-time job (full-time college in my case), and lately I've been struggling to remember why I'm writing at all.

Part of the reason it's hard to write is because every time I read my own work, I get discouraged. I forget that this is only the first draft, and neither of the first two books were good before I polished them. I forget that every single writer goes through periods where they doubt their own abilities, and all I can think about is what I should be doing better. Greater men and women than me have gone through this same struggle and failed, so what makes me think I'm different? Even if I finish the book on schedule, will it be as good as the previous books? Writer's block is no fun for anybody for any reason, but when your passion is supposed to be writing it can be miserable.

As you can probably tell, my social  media book promotion has all but vanished, and so I wasn't expecting any sales miracles when I set up my booth for a local holiday boutique at my church this weekend. Normally I lose money at events like this, and, frankly, money isn't something I feel comfortable experimenting with right now. However, I have done nothing to promote my own books this year. So I paid for my little booth, ordered fifteen copies of each novel, and decided that I was going to have fun even if I only sold one book all weekend.

I sold twenty-two copies and met cost for the first time since starting this self-publishing enterprise.

I've never sold more than twelve copies at a single event.

Besides that, nothing out of the ordinary happened, yet somehow this weekend was exactly what I needed. I'm very lucky to live in a community which enthusiastically supports my efforts as a local writer. It was the first time in months that I felt like I'm doing something right. The writer's block is still hanging on with both hands, but now I remember why I'm writing in the first place. Among other things, I'm thankful for this gift, even if I'm paying back my first three years of easy creativity with interest.

Thank you for taking a chance on Violet Eyes. With a little providence, the next book will be out before you know it, and it will be even better than the first two.