I'm now a Crushing Hearts and Black Butterflies author!!!

I have begun a new chapter in my writing career. Yes, that's cliche, but I couldn't resist lol.

When I dove into the writing world one year ago, I was determined to be a self-published author. Part of that was I can be a control freak and didn't want to lose control over my baby. Part of that was also fear of rejection.

I'm grateful I chose the path I did for a number of reasons. It was a wonderful learning experience and it taught me so much. I made fantabulous friends and gained incredible confidence in myself. I wouldn't have changed a thing about that journey.

Being an indie author is hard work, don't let anyone tell you otherwise. Being a self-published indie author is even harder. You must forge connections with editors, cover artists, formatters, swag designers, etc. It's very costly up front, although you do get more of the profits. It's time consuming and at times emotional as hell, believe it or not.

I hit a rough spot a few months ago as some of you know. For various reasons, I had to step back from everything and just take care of myself for a while. I knew I was letting people down, but sometimes you just have to do what's best for you. When I returned to the writing world and Facebook, I had a different perspective. No longer was I positive I had to do it all on my own. I started thinking about approaching an indie publisher and my thoughts kept drawing to a friend, Cameo Renae.

Cameo was the first interview I ever did on this blog. She had been self-published at the time and later rereleased her book with the group Crushing Hearts and Black Butterflies Publishing. I started bombarding her with questions and ultimately made a decision. Without giving myself time to think and talk myself out of my decision, I submitted Breaking the Nexus and Warrior Unleashed.

A week and a half later, CHBB told me they were interested in picking me up :) Last night, I officially signed a contract for these 2 books, Waking the Phoenix, and the third book of the trilogy featuring Connor and Sha.

Already I know I made the best decision I could right now. A huge weight lifted from my shoulders because I no longer have to stress over the details. I can focus on writing, I'll have deadlines to keep me on track, and I've been enveloped into a truly amazing family of authors. I'm so excited to find out what happens next and to take this next step in the journey of my writing.

Don't get ne wrong though. I'll be self-publishing Dante and Marisa's story and I still think self-publishing is amazing. But right now, I'm content to let someone take the reins for a while with the Mythrian Realm.

As I embark on this journey, I'll be sure to update you all on how different the process is from self-publishing. Thank you lovelies for your continued support and for joining me on this amazing adventure!