Momentous Stuff, the sequel

Hello beautiful people,

Hope you’re well and happy?

I am thrilled to say that late last night I finally decided upon the book cover I want to use for Fractured! I emailed the details to the publisher and it’s now in their hands to create the cover exactly as I described. It’s all in their artists hands now to get it right. Yikes! This is huge! Momentous! Stupendous! 🎉💖🎉💖🎉💖 You see, this is the second try. Their initial layout didn’t jibe with my vision and for an author, the character depictions MUST be true to what I envisioned as I wrote the story. Or at least, for this author it should be. I’m fairly sure it’s like that for every author, though. The people on the cover must look and FEEL like my characters and I was finding it really difficult to find my guys and it was absolutely stressing me out, yanno? Thank God for a couple of dear friends who kept me from going completely bonkers and managed to keep me sane. You know who you are and thank you once again. Love you. 💋

So……finally, late last night I found my guys and was able to email instructions to the publisher. Most of you would know that the inspiration for this story is the fanfiction I had written and that many of you had followed along with as the chapters were released. Obviously for copyright reasons I couldn’t use the tv characters names but my characters are inspired by them with different names, different personality traits and backgrounds. So this book is a rewrite of that fanfic. (Which basically means I’ve written two stories.) So with all that, my cover had to have a certain feel to it, a certain vibe and I just couldn’t see it for ages. I was hunting through thousands and I mean thousands (!!!!) of pictures. To the point where I couldn’t see straight anymore. And couldn’t even see the beauty of my final choice when it was first presented to me – I was so so brain dead and drained from it all. But eventually, I narrowed my choices down and then I could see it – the fog was lifted and I got that certain feel that I was looking for. Hallelujah and praise the Lord! Once the email was sent, I was like a deflated balloon, soggy and misshapen. But filled with pure joyous relief! If I could have done a jig in that moment I would have. But I haven’t mastered how to do that with a calliper in hand. The best I could do was a slack fist pump. It was, however, a fist pump filled with emotion.😊😊

The thing about self publishing I’m discovering, is that there is so so much to learn. For instance, I’m using a self publishing company because that was how it began for me – they approached me to publish. How they found me, I have no clue, to this day. I imagine there are other companies out there, somewhere. Yet I’ve learnt that plenty of authors self publish doing everything themselves, including somehow putting their book onto Amazon themselves!! Like, huh? How? I have no idea how that is possible – so much there to learn.

However, I have learned that my publisher could also offer marketing (expensive !) but it includes a lot that I already do myself on social media so I won’t be taking up their expensive offer – why pay someone else to do something you already do? I know that many of you already retweet and share all my posts and that is wonderfully helpful. I’m eternally grateful for that. Eternally. If I could ask you to please continue doing that? Plus recommend me to your friends. (Maybe my book would make a great Christmas gift for someone you know? Just sayin’). Or birthday gift? Or just coz?🤓🤗

So on my end, there’s nothing to do now except wait for the artists’ to do their thing and pray they put it all together just right. Because that’s really the final step – everything else is approved – the interior design, all the bits and pieces I wanted in there, plus the pricing – did you know I have no say in the prices the publisher sets?

No? Neither did I.

So, here I sit on tenterhooks (not that I know what those look like but I imagine it’s bloody uncomfortable). Any day now, I’ll be able to say it’s all set and this is the release date. And Siv, I can finally send you an autographed copy! YEEHAW!

With such a momentous occasion, I think I should show you another Pic of Inspiration to celebrate, right? So here you go………

 

What do you think that might be? Love to hear your guesses and theories……..

Sound off in the comments, my lovelies!

Much love,

Zelly309 ❤️❤️❤️