I’m feeling like it’s Christmas time, like I just completed final exams, like my favorite team has won the World Series, like…I just published my latest book! Since I started writing novels, I was in the habit of publishing a book every two or three years. This one, titled Juxtapose, took over four years, though I finished it almost a year ago. I’m not sure why it took me so long.

When I published my first novel back in 2014, I set out to promote it as much as possible. Through my writer’s group, an excellent organization located in Palm Springs, I learned many useful techniques for reaching a potential audience of readers. I even created my own bookmarks and fliers to hand out at the book fairs in which I participated, and I gave author presentations. It was exciting and fun. Then COVID happened.

I finished my fourth book when COVID was still a threat for those of us with certain health conditions. I made the decision to publish it only as an ebook, and I wasn’t motivated to do much promoting. It’s a shame, really. At some point, I will go back and publish it in paperback.

I can’t use COVID as an excuse for not publishing my latest book sooner. Maybe I’m burned out from promotion efforts. I know I’m not tired of writing, but I am tired of the work that goes into preparing a manuscript for publication. Maybe if I were looking at making a million dollars in sales I would be motivated! I am still motivated to write, though, and that’s what matters to me.

Good news: I’m finally publishing my latest novel, Juxtapose, which I completed a couple of years ago. When I finished it, I reached out to agents and publishers that I thought might be interested. Though a couple did express some interest, it didn’t go any further than that. This is my fifth book, and I couldn’t help feeling disappointed that no one was interested in publishing it.

This time, rather than contacting a company to assist in self-publishing my book, I considered not publishing at all. But, again, I ultimately decided to self-publish it because it’s a good book, and I want to share it with any interested readers. It’s not about making money or getting attention, it’s simply about sharing a story that I worked hard to create and that I think makes a good read. The book should be out in early May, if not sooner.

Now, on to the next.