Yesterday I went to the fabulous launch party for B. Swangin Webster’s book LET ME JUST SAY THIS (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00MBZNL0I) at the Barber Lounge for Men (https://www.facebook.com/TheBarberLoungeForMen) in Waldorf, MD. The event started with a reading and short presentation from the author about the book and her future projects and then continued on with general socializing, book signings, and finally, a ride around the block in a party bus. The evening was a great way to celebrate B. Swangin’s achievements as an author and her plans for the future with upcoming books and events.
The festivities reminded me of something very important – to celebrate victories, even when they are small. In this case of course, the publication of her novel is certainly a major victory, but even the small ones are important for us to revel in. Each victory that we celebrate becomes fuel for going on to the next big thing and making sure that we appreciate every bit of effort that went into making that victory possible. Many of B. Swangin’s family, friends, and fans were able to participate in that celebration at the party yesterday.
I am currently working on the sequel to my first novel AHRIMAN: THE SPIRIT OF DESTRUCTION (http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L1ISEUS). Yesterday, on my drive home from the event, an idea came to me for how I was going to end the book. I’ve been writing and working on pieces of it regularly, but had yet to decide on the ending, until that moment. I haven’t written the ending yet and there is definitely much work left to be done, but I am going to celebrate that idea as a small victory as I head toward the much larger one – of finishing the first draft of the sequel. The idea for the ending is minor in the grander scheme of putting in the work every day to complete the draft. In spite of this, I believe that it is every bit as important. The ending for my book is an important building block for the story as it continues to develop with the scenes that I am adding in every day. Celebrating how important that is helps to motivate me to keep going. I can see the end in sight. Of course, that end is really only the beginning. There will be many rounds of revisions and edits to go afterward before I can publish a “final” product. Each step is integral and I plan on reminding myself of that with each victory. Some days I will be feeling upbeat and confident – and perhaps I won’t need the extra motivation – but on others, that extra uplift will be critical in helping me to move forward. Besides, why not capitalize on an excuse to showcase our achievements? Everyone needs to be reminded of how much they have already done to go forward once in a while.
In the spirit of the celebration, I was reminded yesterday that I never had a book launch party since my book was published in June. To that end, I am looking forward to organizing a great celebration at the Barber Lounge. Hopefully by the time of the event I will also have finished the draft of my currently untitled sequel. If so, I plan on celebrating that too.
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My first novel AHRIMAN: THE SPIRIT OF DESTRUCTION (Book I of The Ahriman Legacy) is available as an ebook at all major retailers and a paperback at Amazon.com. http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00L1ISEUS.
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