Newly Published Author Nerves

One thing you never hear about are newly published author nerves. Every writer should be informed of these nasty little creatures, so I shall do my duty, and tell the world. This way other newly published authors won't be surprised.

Being a newly published author is like going on a roller coaster only you can't see the bottom. Your stomach is a mixture of butterflies and stinging bees. You are sure that you will die of a heart attack from the fall.

Don't get me wrong. It's a dream come true, but that dream is laced with a tiny bit of anxiety. You want the whole world to read your book and love it. You want the days to bring new sales, and most of all you want there to be a promotion fairy to help you promote your book to the world. Alas, that fairy doesn't exist. I'm going gray from searching for that wretched beast.

The dream is worth the ulcer. It truly is. There is nothing like the feeling of knowing that you have put so much of yourself out there, and you are finally seeing the good results. Just know that Newly Published Author Nerves are real, and perfectly normal. We'll be alright once our meds kick in.

Goals for 2014

I only have a couple of goals for the upcoming year.
1. Work on getting my book published.
2. Work on getting healthy. I don't mean just taking off weight. I mean getting myself in a good place emotionally, mentally, and physically.
Goals tend to come in strong and go out quickly, but I am determined to make this work. I just thought I'd share this with you all!

THE CHOCOLATE STAYS!!!!

Never the Twain Shall Meet...Uh...Not!

I think some people would think that I should leave my mental illnesses out of the blogosphere, and my Facebook because it could hurt my credibility as an author. To those people, I say, nope. I am who I am, I've struggled with these challenges all of my life, they have, for better or worse, shaped me as an individual, so I will freely talk about them. Like it or lump it.

I am a firm believer that for those of us with mental illness, if we don't talk about it, we are helping to keep the stigma alive. Yes, I have profound depression, OCD, anxiety, social phobia, agoraphobia, and I suffer from horrible panic attacks. I am seeing a therapist, and am on medications. These illnesses were something I have suffered with since childhood, so it will take a long time to take care of these issues. It may take years.

I also believe that Heavenly Father gives those of us with these types of challenges creative outlets. I love to write, it is a way to be creative and it's loads of fun for me. Others sculpt, paint, dance, draw, sing, play an instrument, cook, bake, are crafters, and the list goes on and on. Every single person in this world is endowed with talents and gifts, but I think Father knew that we needed to be able to get out of our own heads for a while, and gave us personal ways to do just that. For this I will be forever grateful.

Oy With the Poodles Already!

As any true Gilmore Girl fanatic, this phrase I picked up from the show had to be used. I am having that kind of day.

As I wrote on my Facebook wall yesterday, I want to soar like a bird and not splatter like roadkill. I am getting to the point where I can send my baby out in the world in the hopes of getting it published. Freakin' Yikes!

I am clammy handed, butterflies in the stomach, having a heart attack kind of scared. There is no other way to put it.

As I see it I have three choices:
1. Not send it out and forever wonder what if.
2. Send it out, get hit by rejection after rejection.
3. Have a coronary from thinking about it, die, and then let my family get it published.
I'm not liking the third option very much, but hey, it needed to be put on the table.

What to do? How do I do it? How do I start? Where do I go?

Oy with the poodles already!!!!