Authorship Is Weird

C’mon, let me write!

---

---

Getting Out of My Own Way

Authorship is weird. I said that recently when telling someone everything going on in my soon-to-be-published world: My publicity team is on it! Sure, there is a ton of info they need from me ASAP, but I’ve taken umpteen webinars, read the how-to’s and took part in launch-your-book programs. It’s all there, everything they need…in illegible notes, or files I can’t find on my computer. Preorders for my book likely start early in April. ARCs people! I’ve been waiting and waiting for this! I’ve found all the resources I need for mailers, bookmarks, swag, all the things to send to blurbers and reviewers who require hard copies. Have I purchased any of it? Not a single thing. There is so much business for launch to deal with, it’s overwhelming, and I haven’t been writing, which is all I want to do. So I stand by what I said, authorship is weird.

There was a huge chunk in my life when I was a proud A-type personality. Organized well in advance, multi-tasking was my jam. Crisis? Bring it on. Mother, wife, PTA enthusiast, non-profit fundraiser, committee(s) chair, owner of a small business, pack-lunch maker, home cook, baker, in-person and vocal supporter of all children’s sports and activities. Did I coach a cheer squad? Of course. Because I was

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/That_Girl

I gleefully tackled it all.

Maybe I’ve changed after a life altering medical experience. Or, it could be my brain is different now. We could chalk it up to aging, and it wouldn’t be wrong. Wherever the blame lies, that multi-tasker in me no longer exists. I miss her. I’ve been sitting for days and weeks with a striking lack of productivity, and I can’t figure out why I’m immobile.

As I mull this over, I came across two points of advice that have truly resonated with me.

First, I am reading Mary Helen Sheriff and Grace Sammon’s Launch Pad: The Countdown To Marketing Your Book.

More research and less application tactics are my current spiritual state.

In her introduction, Mary Helen Sheriff writes, “Sometimes authors get overwhelmed by book marketing. At first, they may be overwhelmed by all that they don’t know…But then they become overwhelmed by all that they DO know.”

Second,

Camille

Pagán’s podcast episode about the fear of success hit home. Is this me? Am I standing in my own way? Most definitely. Do imposter syndrome issues play a role? Certainly.

<For a refresher on my relationship with imposter syndrome, you can refer to my “Double Exposure” newsletter.>

But there is another aspect of fearing success I came across, which I highlighted and promptly lost that Camille touches on as well. And that is the aftermath of success—the living up to one’s success and repeating it. If Not Yours to Keep succeeds, will my next book match or better that standard?

This rings true. Obviously, some introspection is required to find its root, but the aha realization is energizing.

---

Anyone else suffering from fear of success?

Share how you get out of your own way…

---

I Read It:

Fatten your TBR with

Hannah Mary McKinnon

’s gem Only One Survives coming July 16, 2024. I’m so lucky to have read an early copy!

Best friends forever, great bandmates, a shot at success—what could go wrong? Maybe almost everyone ending up dead? With its intricate characters and the dysfunctional families they long to leave behind, Only One Survives captivates you throughout. The narrator’s convincing and gripping account immerses you in the story, assuring you foresee the upcoming twists, but you can’t. McKinnon’s skillful distortion of logic creates an engrossing commentary on the obsession with social media, fame, and the resulting illusions for our ego. This results in an exceptionally enticing, don’t look-away thriller.

Only One Survives FINAL SCORE:

 2.5 READING DAYS - 🥴LIFE INTERRUPTUS = 1-1/2 ACTUAL READING DAYS

The rating scale: Take the number of days to read, subtract all of life’s responsibilities, obligations, fun, and a few hours of sleep each night, and this fast paced, you’ll think about it long after, thriller, scores a 1-1/2 day read!

---

---

And Now For Something Completely Serious…

There’s a long list of artist’s, stars, politicians who’ve experienced brain aneurysms or had a family member who did. Sadly, we don’t talk enough about this topic in public. But Dr. Dre, who suffered a brain aneurysm in 2021 was one who spoke up.

This month, Dr. Dre revisited it in a conversation with James Corden. The eight-time Grammy winner remembered the January 2021 day he suffered the aneurysm and three subsequent strokes.

The following are excerpts from an article in The Atlanta Black Star:

“…the entertainer recounted experiencing excruciating pain behind his right ear shortly after waking up. Little did he know that was a common symptom associated with aneurysms. Despite the discomfort, he attempted to dismiss the sensation.”

Dre was taken to urgent care, where doctors informed him that he was suffering from a serious medical event.

“Next thing you know, I’m blacking out. I’m in and out of consciousness, and I ended up in the ICU. I was there for two weeks. I’m hearing the doctors coming in and saying, ‘You don’t know how lucky you are.'”

The article goes on to say “Strokes and stroke-related fatalities are more prevalent among Black Americans than any other racial demographic in the United States, according to information from the American Stroke Association. Approximately 55 percent of Black adults have high blood pressure.”

In the brain aneurysm world, its a known fact that people of color have an increased risk of ruptured aneurysms.

We must keep the conversation going. Knowing the risks, whose at risk, and the symptoms are all we have to help save lives.

---

Last Licks

---