My Super Glam Self-publishing Journey (Four Years In)

I started writing books four years ago, publishing my first series in 2020. Despite the hate I got for self-publishing, the snide comments and backhanded compliments, the fear and tears, the self-doubt and imposter syndrome, I kept writing.

So, where am I now?

I’ve written FIVE (and counting) Paranormal Romance (PNR) books in a series and a YA trilogy. While my YA series was my baby, PNR has my heart. I’m a spooky girl all year! Gimmie vamps and werewolves and witches and ghosts any time, babe! Halloween? My fav. Romance? Grabs my heart and doesn’t let go. Combining the two just makes sense in my spewky lil world.

Currently, I’m still working on growing a social media following. For a long time, I feared being ridiculed and told to GTFO for being an author invading a reader’s space on places like TikTok. Recently, I got over that. The worst thing that can happen is I get told off. Good thing authors have thick skin. We’re used to judgement, bad reviews, and being swatted away like lil annoying skeeters. And like a skeeter, I’ll keep buzzing about till I get a bite. The moment I give up is the moment I’ve given up on my art, on myself. No way is that happening.

My goal has always been the same: Give someone something to hope for, give them an escape, give them that giddy feeling every time they read and reread their favorite part(s). I’m not just a writer; I’m a reader. And as a reader, these are the things I look for and long for in books. I like to stand in the aisle of a bookstore flipping pages of random books I’ve pulled from shelves, looking for a scene that speaks to me, a scene that makes me smile or laugh or in some way, gets an emotional or physical response out of me. Whether my heart flutters or my stomach clenches, I know this book is for me. I was meant to find it and dive into that world.

Out there somewhere, one of my books could be a favorite, or one I’ve yet to write, will be!

While creating and sharing my art with others is exciting and rewarding, being self-published comes with a downside.

Many look down on authors not traditionally published. I’d get excited about a book I’d just published and talk about it with someone, only to be met with a disappointed “Oh” when they learned I was self-published. Their fallen features, that light dimming in their eyes, the suddenly slumped shoulders, and that deafening “Oh” would cause my heart to sink every single time. As a result, I stopped talking to strangers or even colleagues about my work in person. Instead, I turned to social media for readers and fellow authors who were actually interested in my art. Doing so has given me back that much needed confidence! The other downside? Marketing! Ugh, it’s such a dirty word. Ads don’t work (not in my experience, anyway), no matter what social media site I’ve pushed them on. What does work? Finding my readers, my people, the ones who already love the genre I write! Or, perhaps, the ones who don’t know yet that my books are exactly what they’ve been searching for.

Ultimately, writing is FUN. I get to create something amazing, captivating, spicy (hehehe there’s that giddy feeling), and romantic (SWOON). I get to create an entire person with feelings and a past and future. I get to decide when they let someone else in, when they fall (and get caught because HEAs (happily-ever-afters) are a must. I have the power to build a world from scratch and look out at it with tearful little eyes once it’s done.

My heart is happy. Content. Hopeful of a bright future where more readers find my art and fall in love with it, too.

Do I ever want to be traditionally published? I love exploring new things and seeing where I’m taken, so yes, I’d love to give that a chance again. If I never find myself in that world? As long as I get to keep creating and making art, I’m happy. Whether I'm self or trad published, as long as I’m doing what brings me joy, I’m completely at peace.

Do you like smutty Paranormal Romance? Vamps, werewolves, witches, action, horror, secrets, secret societies, mates, ghosts, drama, vengeance arcs, witchcraft, demon-hunting, and more? Check out my Undone series.

Maybe you’d like to see my early work. If so, Submerged is great for those looking for a coming-of-age series about a teen girl navigating her first relationship, one that happens to be with a narcissist, all the while unknowingly falling for her best friend.