My Blog Birthday is Coming Up… And I Have a Surprise for Y’all!

On February 16th, my blog is turning two, and I have planned a special surprise to celebrate!

But before I can tell you what that is, you must humor me in my attempts to be nostalgic.

Almost two years ago, I wrote my very first blog post for Eliana the Writer, titled “6 Ways Having Tons of Sibs is a Blessing” … Nah, now I’m just repeating what I said in my first “blogiversary” post.

How about we just skip the nostalgia this year and go straight to the surprise? ;P

Drum roll, please…

The Surprise

Remember the little book I wrote, Booker Bunny and the 99 Captives? (If not, pop on over to Booker’s Corner for a refresher.)

After foiling many people desiring to read it with pleas of “It’s not ready yet!”—guess what? It’s actually now ready! Ready-ish.

And if you’re on my email list, on February 16th, y’all will get an opportunity to get your own digital copy. :O

My firstborn book baby, the fruit of three years of hard labor, released to the masses (aka the friends, family, and acquaintances following my newsletter) … Best blogiversary gift ever, right?

Meanwhile, I got my own copy through an online printing service called Lulu, and it’s pretty cool! Here are some pictures and a sneak peek at the “Author’s Apology” I wrote for the front of Booker Bunny.

Booker Bunny printed all fancy-like

It’s not actually published, but Grace Pederson designed a beautiful cover for it and shared the file with me, so I was able to tweak it and make it into a wrap-around cover, and voila! We have a book.

If you’re local, I might let you borrow it. 😉 (There’s a tiny stain now though. I shall forever cite it as the reason to never let Selah borrow any of my possessions again. *dramatic faint*)

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Thank you to Reepicheep for being such a lovely model.

Author’s Apology

I got the idea to write an “Author’s Apology” for the front of my book from Pilgrim’s Progress. If you’re a writer who has as much trouble explaining things of the writer world to the average people as I do, feel free to take notes. =P Enjoy your sneak peek!

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Hello there! I am writing this “Author’s Apology” section to attempt to explain some misconceptions before you begin your reading of Booker Bunny and the 99 Captives. Feel free to skim or skip as long as you don’t plan to critique its errors, beg me to try to get it published, etc.

Here are the five main things I’d like you to know before you read Booker Bunny.

#1: Booker Bunny was my first completed project. (Note that it is a novella, because it’s too short to be a novel.) I had started many stories before Booker Bunny, but I never finished any of them.

#2: At the time I am writing this, I have written one other book, a novel, but unlike Booker Bunny, it is a rough draft—a very rough draft. Booker Bunny has been re-written and edited.

#3: Though Booker Bunny is more polished, I have written better stories, and there are many problems with Booker Bunny I am not taking the time to edit. It is my first book, and an author’s first book tends not to be one’s best. Especially since I started it when I was a fair bit younger.

#4: No, this book has not been published, even if it looks like it has been.

#5: No, I am not going to attempt to publish it. My siblings, being the biased creatures they are, say that Booker Bunny is better than Redwall, and I ought to at least try to publish it, but I have decided not to for the following reasons:

• I could independently publish it, but I’d prefer to be traditionally published.
• Pursuing traditional publishing is a long process, including hiring an editor and pitching to agents.
• It is difficult to have your books published in multiple genres or for multiple audiences, and I’m not sure that I want to stick with Booker Bunny’s genre and audience.
• Booker Bunny is my first book, so it has fundamental problems and is unlikely to be accepted.
• Novellas typically aren’t accepted by traditional publishers, and I don’t want to indie publish.

The main reason: Putting a book out into the world is a big deal, and I want to do it right. 

This is also why I am trying to write six novels to get better at writing before I pursue publishing. And this is why I am not planning to take the time to edit these six novels or share them with many readers. I hope to write them quickly and rough before I decide which ones are worth extra effort. 

So why am I sharing Booker Bunny with you? Partly because it is too late to go back. I started editing it not thinking about my long-term strategy, and don’t want that editing to go to waste. I have already told many people about Booker Bunny over the years, and many have asked to read it. So why not share it?

That is all I have to say, I believe. So, without further ado, I hope you enjoy Booker Bunny and the 99 Captives.

What do you think?

If you still want to read Booker Bunny after all that, be sure to join my email list! I’ll be sending out an email on the 16th to give you the opportunity to get your own digital copy. (If it doesn’t come through, you can check your spam or contact me.)

Wow, two years… Thank you all so much for sticking with me through this. For reading my blog posts, and encouraging me onward. This has been quite a journey, and I’m so thankful for everyone who has helped me along the way.

What have been your highlights these past two years? And what are you hoping for in the future?