Good morning, I am beyond excited to have received the paperback proof of my book! There was nothing more exciting than going to the mailbox yesterday with Kevin and opening the box that held two copies of the book—one for me and one for him. We both stood there in the Havasu post office, just taking in the moment. Feeling the weight of the book. Touching the pages. Flipping from front to back. Looking at each other with so much pride, joy, excitement, and love. Then my toddler brain kicked in. “Oh my God... look at the cover.” It’s off-center. Words are cut off. It just looks awful. In an instant, I felt irritated and defeated. That beautiful moment of joy was quickly stolen by my critical inner voice. Then I reminded myself... This is the first book I have ever published. Until this project, I had never designed a full book cover. I had never created a paperback sleeve. I had never walked through this process before. When I remembered that, I looked at the cover differently. Instead of being irritated, I chose to celebrate it. It wasn’t perfect, but damn... it looked good. Allowing myself to set aside the judgment opened me up to spending the evening rereading the book. I honestly don’t know how many times I’ve read it now, but every single time I read it, I walk away with a different message. I made notes along the way for a few final adjustments, but I truly hope this is the last read-through before publication. Then, at 4:45 this morning, I was awakened by sweet Ellie Mae getting sick. My brain wouldn’t shut off, so I grabbed my phone, crept back into bed, and started working on the cover again. I want everything to be as close to right as I am capable of making it before I hit publish. I am one step closer. The shitty thoughts are still showing up to challenge me... and I keep answering them back. Yesterday, while I was holding the book, I looked at Kevin and said, “Who am I to be holding this book?” He didn’t hesitate. He simply looked at me and said, “You’re an author.” And he’s right. The Road to Becoming Me is just days away from being published, and I cannot wait to share it with all of you. Thank you for cheering me on, believing in me, and reminding me—sometimes before I can remind myself—that dreams really do become reality one imperfect step at a time. 🧡 Debbie #TheRoadToBecomingMe #AuthorJourney #Memoir #Becoming #PersonalGrowth #HealingJourney #WritingCommunity #FirstBook #WomenWhoWrite #DreamsInProgress #KeepGrowing #LakeHavasu #SelfDiscovery #BookLaunch #TheBecomingSpaceWithDebbie This is a public episode. If you would like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit thoughtsfromdebbiesue.substack.com
