It's official! I'm published!

The other life change in January was finishing my romance short story for an anthology our writing group (The Write Spice) decided upon at our Christmas retreat. I figured I could do it because Christmas was the only thing stretched out before me at that retreat. Who knew that life would throw a curveball and we’d be planning a wedding?

I had to make some adjustments, the hardest of which was going from writing a 75,000+ word novel to a 6,000-word short story. As I’ve mentioned many times, there are tons of rules to romance writing. I had to research those same rules and suggestions for reducing my word count by more than half.

But I did it, and no, it was not easy. I originally hoped to set the scene for my romance series, but that plan went awry, and I had to scrap several writing drafts. My Orlando trip disrupted my writing plans, and even though I wrote frantically at the pool, in the car, and in my head, I discarded most of it, too.

When I got home, I wrote like a fiend. While I missed the deadline, these ladies gave me leeway, accepting my lateness and helping me through the other processes where I lagged. Eventually, my story came together, and I submitted it and got caught up in critiquing everyone else’s manuscript.

Our book launched! It’s available at major retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Apple. I am officially a published author.

Of course, early sales went to my relatives. Shout out to all of you who support me! I love you!

The great thing is how much I’ve learned about the process. I have experience working with an editor, going live on a Facebook Launch, and interviewing on a podcast. From there, I applied to be an officially published author on Amazon and finally created a website.

When we received our paperback copies, we discovered several mistakes. I worked with the software to correct those, and now I have a better idea of how to self-publish my book when the time comes.

It’s been a fabulous experience. Have I mentioned that I’m a published author?

Those interested in romance can find it HERE. The paperback version is a tad expensive (we don’t set that for Amazon), so if you are interested in a signed paperback version, email me at cmkerwin@gmail.com. I’m selling them for $10.

The wedding cake

Darcy is all about her wedding pictures. Unlike her mother, who hates getting photographed, she is obsessed with having photos of the big day, touching on those traditional wedding picture points. While discussing this desire, I asked what she would do for the cake-cutting picture. Darcy doesn't like cake and instead plans on having a cookie cake, which she has every year for her birthday.

Darcy: "I'll have a fake cake."

Me: "A what?"

Darcy: "I'll have Maddy make a fake cake."

And she did. 

The big 16!

The thing about weddings and wedding planning is that everything else is second best. Tonight, while celebrating Nikita's 16th birthday, Oleg and Darcy's wedding was the main topic of conversation, and with that came drama.

Oleg's family worries about following American traditions while also wanting their own. Since I'd been researching those, we discussed them at our end of the table. Darcy, at the other end of the table, didn't like that. She doesn't want help planning. She is insistent on doing things her way, and I'm trying to respect that, although I find my feelings bruised. 

And that is silly. I'm insecure about significant events. I should be thrilled.

Somewhere in the middle, we had dinner and ate cake to celebrate Nikita.

Later, Darcy and I talked over our feelings, and a few days later, she sat down with his family and explained how the wedding would proceed, using items on the restaurant table to represent all of us. 

Happy Birthday, Nikita. Next year, we'll give you our undivided attention!

Wedding prep mishap #1

 The wedding dress did not arrive. I received the panicked bride's phone call. In her meltdown, we went from no one could tell me anything to they ordered the wrong dress. After talking her off the ledge and pacing the floor, I ignored the prior "I have the wedding preparations under control" instructions and called the dress company. 

After all, I'd paid big bucks for the dress. 

I talked to two different managers, exchanging personal phone numbers and videos of the dress, before I understood the situation--or somewhat understood what she spouted. It went something like this:

These dresses come in a standard sheath in white or ivory, and the overlay is created by hand. Because of our time frame, the correct size sheath for that dress wasn't available. No one could tell me why, so we ordered a smaller size after the seamstress assured us she could fix this issue in alterations. This dress had multiple delicate beads and lace and required a lot of fancy hand stitching. It wasn't finished. 

But it would be, and we would not get charged a late alteration fee. I reminded the manager I had her personal cell phone number if it didn't, and she laughed. 

The bride-to-be wiped her tears. I patted myself on the back. Crisis averted--for now.