Now that the excitement of the weekend is over, I can calm down and make a better post for my book. haha
I moved up the release of my book so that I could get that done before the kids start back to school. I had originally planned the release for their first day back, August 7th, but I had it ready to go earlier than that. This is my "little book that could". I know it isn't a perfect novel, but I consider myself to be more of a storyteller. Like an old man by a campfire telling a story that is going to keep your attention, and though it may be gritty or hard, you are going to remember it because it hit your heart in the right ways, or it made you laugh. So, given my time, resources, and abilities, I had The Weeping Key ready to go.
I uploaded the manuscript for digital release, I said a rosary, and I prayed to God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to help guide it out there to the people who needed it. Because I don't believe in prayer without action, I used all the knowledge stored up in my mind palace and promoted it in all the ways I knew how. I also released it with a FREE promotion that lasted 5 days, because I've never actually viewed storytelling as a means of making money, I just want to entertain people, so I figured if I could rope some people in with a free book at first, then YAY! lol
It went better than I ever could have imagined. Within a day, I was moving up in the top 15 books. When the free promotion ended, I was in 2nd, 3rd, and 3rd in a variety of categories. I kind of shut down mentally a few times over the weekend. Writing this story has taken YEARS. That is no exaggeration. I think I started working on it legitimately in 2020, but the brainstorming process for me happens well in advance. The seed got planted, and it quickly started growing, only living with three children and a husband who need me makes for writing and editing that moves slowly. I've also read that the 2nd novel a person writes is the hardest, and I find that to be completely true. Mainly because, I've already written one book, and I wanted this one to be better. I knew more about plotting, planning, and execution. There was never "writer's block", but there was a lot of "Am I good enough?".
I finally buckled down and decided that Katie's story wouldn't help anyone if it sat on my computer until I died. Plenty of people do many amazing things without being "perfect", so I said to myself, "I'll be as perfect as I can be, and God will help me, because this story was for him." and look what happened?
Even after my free promotion, I woke up to find that I'm still in the top 100 paid books in my categories on Amazon. That is something I never thought I'd see.
The best way to help with this novel from you guys: my friends, colleagues, readers, and people I care about, is if you read it, leave me a review. (Hopefully a good one, but hey, we are all different! Constructive criticism can help, even if I am a sensitive soul. lol) Or, you can share it on here or with your friends or loved ones. I offer it in the Kindle Unlimited plan so it is free if you enroll in that, and you can also share it with people for free there.
I can only offer the free promotion once every 90 days, but I plan to do it as often as possible because I do GENUINELY believe this story can help people heal. If you or someone you know wants a copy and can't download it or afford it, let me know and I'll make sure they get a copy they can read.
I wrote this book for people who have grown up not knowing how to feel a mother’s love. If a person has only known toxic love, then they think all love is toxic. In my book, Katie learns how to not only come out of herself and her inner world, but she learns how to GIVE that love back to others in a supportive way.
If you've read this far, thank you. And once again, THANK YOU to everyone who has helped by sharing, reading, or just giving me a like or comment on here. It does help me feel supported and not like I'm a silly goose just trying to fit in. lol