Hey guys.  Did you know I wrote a book?  No?  Are you new here?

Well, if you are new, I did write a book…while planning my wedding no less.

Ok, ok.  I kid.  I totally didn’t plan my wedding.  My mom did.  She has far more patience for that crap stuff than I do.

But I did write a book.  Two plus years ago.

It’s a young adult fiction novel.

It was surprisingly easy to write.

I didn’t have much of a plan except: write a novel.

And I was pretty pleased with how it turned out.

And then I got scared shitless.

What next?

So what happened?  The printed copy has been sitting, collecting dust.

I haven’t opened the digital copy recently.  Well, unless you count opening it to send to Mia.  She’s my bff, and even just doing that scared me.

Why are you so scared you might ask.

Fear may not be the right emotion to tag to this.

It’s more like intimidation.  I’m not scared of the rejection.  In fact, I’m more prepared for the rejection than I am for the acceptance.  I would probably keel over dead if an agent actually picked up my work. Never mind a publisher. 

The “next part” isn’t fun.  I have to write a query letter. 

And then I have to send it off to a bunch of agents who might maybe some day be sorta kinda interested in working with my genre.  And me.

And then I wait.

And wait.

And wait.

For the rejection.

For the approval.

Just wait.

When I write it out, it doesn’t seem all that intimidating at all, actually.

And lately, it keeps popping up: So what’s up with the book friends asks.

I want to get together and talk novel, let’s meet! Another suggests. 

And then… this happened:

I took notice.  Seems like such a scary thing until you realize that every author goes through this.

Every author experiences this part of it all.  Unless, of course, they choose to self publish.  That’s not for me.

So, I tweeted Ms. Jennifer Weiner to thank her. 

And you GUYS?  THIS HAPPENED:

She’s right.  Totally, totally right.

So I’m doing it.

Shit. Just. Got. Real.