This evening, after seven and a half years of work, eight drafts, countless revisions, and a title change, my first novel, Song of the Wren-Falcon, just went live. It is now available for sale on CreateSpace, Amazon, and the publisher's website, splashdownbooks.com.
I've got to be honest: I'm kind of shell-shocked right now. I mean, it's been seven years of constantly thinking about and trying to improve this novel. The last few months have been a tornado of trying to get every little last-minute detail ready for publication. (My publisher and I were still changing things last night, for crying out loud!)
Now, all of a sudden, it's over. 100% complete. At the same time, I've suddenly rocketed into a brand-new chapter of my life, now as a published novelist. Wow! This is a goal I've been working towards for the last twelve years, but now that it's here I barely know what to do with it. Like I said, shell-shocked. I'm really not quite sure what to do with myself. My best friend will testify, I just keep talking and talking in the hopes of making sense or saying something profound, but it's not happenin'.
I'm hoping this is normal. Any of you published authors out there care to share your experiences with your milestones? I'd love to hear about them. It might make me feel a little more normal.