As the title of this post indicates, this past week, it happened… Shade was officially announced as a forthcoming book on Inanna Publications’ website and social media channels and was added to Amazon.ca for pre-order!

I shared the Amazon link on my personal Facebook page for those interested in pre-ordering (post below) and was absolutely floored by the response.

Since posting it on Sunday, the above post has been liked 110+ times, shared on various feeds and has received so many encouraging comments from friends, family and those in my extended network – all of this via a post on my own personal Facebook page. I’ve received emails from coworkers at my current workplace and at places that I have previously worked who heard the news and even received autograph requests from friends of friends of friends. It’s crazy and awesome and overwhelming all at once. Just a few thoughts crossing my mind:

• This is actually happening! This whole publication process is brand new to me. I remember jumping for joy when I heard publishers were interested in my novel, jumping for joy when I held the final contract in my hands, jumping for joy when I received a publication date, and on and on. The whole process has been amazing and my level of joy and gratitude has not gone down in the least with time. Each step in this process has been so surreal in that I’ve spent five years writing this book in isolation and suddenly it’s a real thing in the world
• Geeze Louise. My book will be out in the world. There’s something that is both terrifying and exhilarating in the thought that the public can read what was once my most private thoughts in a little less than half a year’s time. Who knows what this revelation process will entail. Hopefully the book doesn’t disappoint, offend or [insert any other sort of negative verb] anyone
• I love my support network and my support network’s support network and even my support networks’ support network’s network. I posted about my book on Facebook for form – to do my due diligence to the novel in getting the word out. But the response has amazed me. The post about my novel has received more likes than the post I made when I got engaged. It has as many likes and more comments than when my status changed to “Married.” I’ve received messages from people I haven’t spoken to since I was in grade school who remembered how much I loved to write back in the day. Again, I am simply overwhelmed with joy and gratitude and amazed at how supportive people are
• This is a big deal for me. It’s so easy to get caught up in the trenches of writing – to plod along and eventually feel like maybe you’re just writing and editing in a void. You write to write and it’s good because… well, you couldn’t stop writing even if you wanted to. But some small part of you also wants to write to be read. Now that this is “Facebook official,” the moment feels just that much more real – and this is a big deal to me. If you look back at my school work from the time I was in Junior Kindergarten, that “What I want to be when I grow up” field always ended in “writer”

Does this mean I’m a writer now? Of course, I remember seeing that graphic (I believe I picked it up on Pinterest, but it’s been floating around for awhile) that says

You are a writer already. Today. Now. So start writing

And it’s true. Quotes like the one above got me through days when all I felt about my writing was frustration. Self-doubt and questioning and the constant second-guessing always creeps in. But for now… I’m jumping with joy and looking forward to the great year to come.

With that being said, check it out. Shade is available for pre-order on Amazon, everyone! Reserve your copy today!

HUGE NEWS, EVERYONE!

I am beyond thrilled to announce that my book, Shade, will be published Spring 2016 by Inanna Publications. It will be launched May 5, 2016, to be exact.

Shade follows the travels of a young woman named Benni, who is born and raised in northern Ontario. After her plans for the future are disrupted, she seeks escape from her every day routine by visiting her father in the Philippines – the fantastical land of ghosts and glamour that her parents described to her as a child. Over two weeks, Benni finds much more than she bargained for – the honest, human relationships that come from seeking and reconnecting with family.

Stay tuned on details about book launches, readings and upcoming events. Help me spread the news by sharing information about my new book with your networks, tweeting the news or sharing a link. If you’re on Goodreads, let’s connect! You can find my author profile here or book profile here.