***Disclaimer – I’m starting off with some bad writing - quoting without a source. If anyone knows who said the following, please let me know. I regret that the idea stuck with me but not the originator.

One of my fellow 2023 debuts recently posted on IG about how publishing is the process of making “my” book “yours,” and I’ve been thinking about it ever since.

When I wrote my first draft of SB (then titled “I Remember Everything”) it was basically me telling myself a story, without much consideration for craft, or spelling or punctuation or care taken to make sure I wasn’t using someone’s name or being tactless.

As I went through my second through sixth drafts, I had input from coaches, mentors and beta readers to check me, and so, in increments, my story was shared.

When I sent my book out on submission, I was offering to share it with agents and publishers, and so my book became theirs. Well, at least 10-20 pages of it.

When Blue Ink Press signed me, my book became theirs.

And now, less than two months out to release day, with my book available for pre-order, my book is about to become yours.

It’s emotional, to say the least.

It’s funny the things I’ve worried about in the process. When it was just me talking to myself, I wasn’t worried about what other people would think. It wasn’t until I began final edits in January that I worried: Had I borrowed anyone’s name or experience? Were my facts indeed factual? Was I being consistent in my details? Could my readers follow my train of thought? Was I, in fact, telling a story people could read?

We won’t even go into how many words I looked up to make sure I was using them correctly. Suffice it to say, it was A LOT. (Joanna pauses, goes online to double check that “a lot” is two words. It is.)

The symbolism is not lost on me that while I am preparing to publish my first book, my first-born is preparing to graduate high school. The overlap in emotions is pretty staggering. I cared for and nurtured this person for 18 years and now she is in the process of becoming no longer mine, but part of the world. I’m grateful for the metaphor in action. It has helped me process my emotions and to choose to feel excited about both events and what’s next.

In closing, I want to say thank you to everyone who has supported me over the past three years. I am honored to have a legion of family, friends, writers, and industry professionals beside me, cheering me on.

What’s mine is now yours, given in gratitude and with love.