News & Updates

Wildflowers Come Back Paperback Now Available!

Posted by Sarah on Dec 6, 2011 in News | 0 comments

Since the end of September I’ve been doing a dance with the files for the Wildflowers Come Back paperback; more specifically the cover file. (The interior file is and always has been badass perfection.) However, unlike the book interior, the cover had a few minor issues. The initial paperback proof had a slight aesthetic problem: it was too damn dark. I had a feeling it might be when I initially submitted it, and lo and behold it was. No problem. Just lighten it. Sounds simple, right? It is…when you’re in the right frame of mind and can let go of your artistic ego just enough to accept that maybe your “artistic vision” doesn’t translate well to the printer.

Artistic Ego 1 – Actual Progress 0.

After a lot of frustration I put the cover file aside and promised myself I’d come back to it when I was more level-headed. Needless to say, that ‘more level-headed’ status didn’t take up residence until sometime last week. But once it did, I got to work lightening the shit out of that cover and crossed my fingers as I ordered the new proof.

Fast forward to today when said proof arrived in my mailbox. I nearly tripped over my own feet as I rushed inside and plopped down in my desk chair to rip open the neatly taped cardboard. If this one isn’t right…screw it. Thankfully it was right. More than right. It was perfect.

 

I’m happy to announce that the Wildflowers Come Back paperback is now available on CreateSpace and Amazon.com. Soo….go buy it, y’all!

PS: I had someone ask me if the paperback photos were taken with the book on top of paper towels. Answer? No. That’s a blanket, you crazies.

News & Updates – I’m Not Dead…and Other Things

Posted by Sarah on Dec 6, 2011 in News | 2 comments

I’m not dead.

Despite blog, Twitter and Facebook inactivity which might lead one to conclude otherwise…I am very much alive. In fact, I’m in a pretty amazing place right now. (Not literally though…I’m not writing this from Bora Bora. *le sigh*)

Here’s the thing: being a writer is hard. You have to put yourself out there and make yourself vulnerable, allowing other people (strangers!) to explore the stories you’ve created. The moment Wildflowers Come Back became officially published my first reaction wasn’t, “Holy shit! I did it!” but rather, “Holy shit! Why did I do that? Undo! Undo!” I had spent so long putting my heart, my energy and my tears into this book…I should have been excited, right? But I wasn’t. I felt like I had made a huge mistake. I felt like an idiot. All I wanted to do was hide under a blanket with ice cream and pray no one would read my novel.

In my life I’ve developed a real knack for not finishing things. (Just like Julie in Julie and Julia.) Why the hell did I have to start finishing things now?

As I sat under a fluffy blanket with mint chocolate chip ice cream dripping down my chin, people were buying my book. Not only were they buying my book, but they were doing something crazy: they were reading it. People were reading my book. Other people. Strangers. People who aren’t my mom.

Then, as I tried to scrub the  mint chocolate chip ice cream stains out of my fluffy blanket, another crazy thing happened: people liked the book. My book. They liked it. As in…they didn’t hate it. As in…they didn’t want a refund. As in…they wanted to read a sequel. A sequel. Of my book. Written by me.

Since the release of Wildflowers Come Back I’ve tried my best to brush off good reviews and compliments as people simply trying to be nice to little ol’ me. Despite the positive feedback, a part of me just wanted my book and any memory that I had written it to fade into the background. So, I occupied myself with other work. I didn’t promote the book very much. I stopped blogging. I stopped tweeting as much as I had previously tweeted. I side-stepped questions about a sequel. In short: I became horrifyingly boring and dull.

What the hell was that all about? Probably a defense mechanism of some sort. I guess that happens when your greatest fear in life isn’t death…but failure. (Which seems really twisted since said defense mechanism pretty much sets you up for failure. Funny how that works. Maybe then it’s not a fear of failure but a fear of success?)

After a while it finally hit me: I love writing. I’m lonely without writing. I need to write.

So, I took some time off from writing. I cleared my head. I centered myself and found my focus once again. Now I’m back with a renewed determination, and I’ve made sure to lock up my fluffy blanket and ice cream so I won’t be tempted to retreat. (This does mean that I might pee my pants if things get a little scary, but at least I’ll still be standing here! Standing in a puddle, but…still standing. Here. Still.) I’m starting fresh with my blogging, and my website has a new look which is lighter and fresher to reflect my new lighter and fresher state. Do you like it?

What’s Coming Up?

In the upcoming days and weeks I will talk a little bit more about my two upcoming projects. The first is a novel titled Weldon’s Carousel, while the second is the Wildflowers Come Back sequel. So please stay tuned!

Say “Hello” to…Wildflowers Come Back

Posted by Sarah on Sep 28, 2011 in News | 4 comments

These past few weeks have been stressful, to say the least. I have paced the floor in front of my bed at 3AM imagining worse case scenarios which usually involve hoards of people leaving the worst reviews possible for Wildflowers Come Back. I have over-analyzed everything until I’m sitting in the emergency room because the stress of it all has literally made me sick. That has been September (and a good chunk of August) for me. On top of everything I also had to euthanize one of my precious cats who developed violent seizures as a result of a brain tumor at the age of six. It’s been a heartbreaking and emotionally draining month.

I’ve been inching my way closer to the edge of the cliff as the days and weeks pass, and the closer I got the more I wanted to turn and run away. Roadblocks seemed to be popping up left and right, and just when things seemed to be going right something would go totally wrong. Along the way there have been unexpected issues that have often put a wrench in my plans forcing me to change my release date. It actually reached a point where someone asking me about the book’s release (which normally is a thrilling thing) became something I dreaded.

Yesterday I stood mere inches from the edge and I realized that those last few inches meant the world to me. I thought about how it took a lot of tears, a lot of heart and a lot of years to get me here. Then…I embraced fear and jumped.

Wildflowers Come Back is officially out in the world…out of my hands. Holy shit.

This book is deeply personal to me. I’ve put so much into it and. I believe in this story. I believe in these characters. There are going to be people who don’t “get” it. There are also going to be people who “get” it but still hate it. However, I’m trying to focus not on those people but on the ones who will not only “get” it but also appreciate it, and if I’m lucky…love it.

So…I hope you will be one of those people who loves it. If you would like to buy the book please visit the Wildflowers Come Back page where you can read a small sample and discover where you can purchase your copy. Currently the eBook is available for purchase. The paperback will be available for purchase very soon. Stay tuned to this blog for more information on that.

“Anything I’ve ever done that ultimately was worthwhile… initially scared me to death.”  ~Betty Bender