This past week has been one of the busiest and most exhausting weeks I have had in a long time. Most of my days have been spent working on the final manuscript of The Devil's Dance as it moves closer to production. I am excited and terrifed. After years of dreaming about becoming a published author, countless revisions, moments of doubt, and more cups of coffee than I care to admit, my debut novel is finally approaching the finish line.
People often imagine that once a book is accepted by a publisher, the hard work is over. Girl, that's a lie. Every chapter and every word suddenly comes under a microscope. I found myself reading scenes I have looked at dozens of times before and still finding things I wanted to improve. I've also cut over 20 000 words - and that's scary for me.
My family, fiance and my beautiful little chihuahua - Harley Davidson - has been so needy. As soon as I sit down to write, I get distracted by them. Sometimes I wish I can lock myself away in a corner somewhere and - JUST GET THE JOB DONE. Why can't we have more hours in a day?
What made this week even more challenging is that life does not stop simply because you have a deadline. Alongside editing, I still had work responsibilities to manage, emails to answer and the everyday demands of life. Finding the balance between being an author and everything else can sometimes feel impossible.
At the same time - I have also been working on my new romantasy series. FML. Going from editing a historical horror novel to building an entirely new fantasy world has been quite the mental shift.
But as exhausting as this week has been - I would not trade it for anything in the world. This is my dream. Now - I find myself editing the final manuscript of my debut novel while planning future books. And honestly - that makes every late night and every stressful editing session worth it.
POINT IS - never give up. That's the best piece of advice I can give any aspiring author. You will get there someday!