Birth of a Novel.

Through much external pressure, I've finally been convinced of the value of blogging and the necessity of my joining one of this centuries greatest communication tools. So here is my first entry. I hope that someone, somewhere may possibly read it. This is my first baby step to getting my own website (and truthfully, for others of you from a more advanced generation who might be as frightened as I was, it wasn't hard at all.)

My novel, "Forgotten Love," published by Cedar Fort came out in April 2007. Now, I have to admit that the experience was a bit like building a tree house. You know the old story of how exciting it is to anticipate, collect materials, start building and chatter with your buddies about all the great times you're going to have when it's finished, then when it's done, you never go up there again.

This was my first novel, so getting it accepted was the thrill of a lifetime. The fun of e-mailing back and forth to editors, publicists and the like was intoxicating. And the sheer elation I felt when I finally saw the cover and it all became a reality was the most excitement I've experienced in a long time.

Then when the book finally came, it was great and all, but truthfully, not as thrilling as the steps getting to that point. Dumb, huh? But now I had to get out of my comfort zone from behind my computer and go to work. I lined up book signings and even a tv appearance on Good Day Arizona. They went okay, but unless your name is Stephanie Meyer or J.K. Rowling, book signings aren't as glamorous as they're made out to be in the movies. I felt more like Nicolas Cage's assistant in "National Treasure 2."

So when the initial hubbub died down and I'd given away copies to most my family and friends, I retreated back behind my computer to work on my next novel and pretty much gave up. Then I attended the Author's Appreciation Dinner at Cedar Fort, and subsequently, the Writer's Conference held there this past Saturday (June 7th), and I've had new hope and enthusiasm pumped into my veins. Thus, this Blog and soon to come, my own website.

Was anyone else's experience like mine? Or did you all hit the ground running?