Covenant- Trilogy of the Horse Relaunch 2022 is here!

“Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You're off to Great Places!

You're off and away!”

― Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

It's been a surreal past few years. So many changes, so much re-prioritization. I think collectively so many of us have come to the unerring conclusion that life is too short to not do what we love, do the things that bring us joy and where that's possible, make a living at it.

And this phenomenon is not unique to COVID, but is endemic to all great convulsions of civilization that suddenly, and/or persistently, cause us to rethink our place in the grand scheme of things. As Americans I think this was most keenly felt when we were treated like so much toilet paper to be wadded up and used then flushed down the toilet at the convenience of our employers.

At first, we were lauded and applauded as "essential workers"...until we weren't. Suddenly we found ourselves on the frontlines of a political battle for which we did not sign up. I know I speak for multitudes of educators, nurses, grocery store workers, and anyone else who felt worth less than the size of our paychecks over the past 2 years. During this time, I found myself coming back to a phrase often said when honoring military heroes: giving the last full measure of devotion, i.e., their lives. I, and many others, felt that we were expected to give that last full measure of devotion...but we were teachers and nurses and cashiers and never, ever signed up to sacrifice our very lives in the performance of our duties. If I had wanted to put my life on the line on a daily basis I would have become a soldier...a police officer...a firefighter. But I didn't. I chose teaching for the very reason that it was safe...in so many ways. But now, after years of being disabused of that notion, and now finally thoroughly convinced, in the shadow of COVID, that teaching isn't the safe haven I thought I signed up for, I have reached the same conclusion as so many others participating in the Great Resignation: follow your passion. And for me, that is writing.

It could be safely said that I have already been following my passion of writing. I self-published Covenant-Trilogy of the Horse in 2018 to deafening silence. I sold less than 50 units. But 70+ people took advantage of the Kindle freebie offer (at least those units won't be used to keep the kitchen table from wobbling lol!). Got lucky with an interview here and there. I had, in the narrowest definition of the term, become a published author. So, yay me! But what I failed to understand before 2018 was that there is a whole publishing ecosystem into which an indie author interjects herself when she self-publishes. And just like a sparrow flying into an open field, there are many things that need to be done and known and learned in order to peck away at making a living. Most of it is trial and error and that friends, is exactly how it has been for me. I've learned through failure and persistence that one must grow into this brave new world of independent authorship.

I suspect that I will keep failing forward, learning how to publicize my book, making compromises with the toxic nature of social media marketing, realizing that if you're reading this blog post it ISN'T because you got an email blast from me, finding time to write the second book Camino (or what used to be Claim after I realized that the whole premise of the second novel had to change), getting comfortable with saying no when I'm asked to do too much, and forever and always, having faith that what was born within me 35 years ago to make a living as a writer, was a seed of consciousness placed there by the Almighty and not the fanciful musings of a teenager. Or maybe, just maybe, it was both. God bless and enjoy the lightly edited and stunningly updated cover of Covenant- Trilogy of the Horse. I'm learning.