Month: October 2019

What’s up, everyone! It’s been a week and four days since the launch of my second book. I’d like to thank those of you who continue to show your unwavering support of my dream to become a bonafide author. Right now, I consider myself as just a ‘writer’, and I’m so happy to be doing that. To be able to express myself through words and to have one or two people enjoy what I write is more than a girl could ask for.

Here’s what’s been going on with me since the launch of On the Other Side:

Launch Day, September 27th

On the day of launch, I treated myself to a mani/pedi. Then, I did a release day takeover at Eden’s Garden (Eden Books) that evening and had a blast. During that time, I was at the salon getting my hair done, haha! Multitasking at its finest. 😆

I left the salon much later than I anticipated. Thank goodness it was Friday and restaurants stay open much later. I was still able to take my adult son out for tacos and margaritas to celebrate the launch of my second book!

After Launch

On the Monday after launch, I mailed out the first group of signed books and swag to those who ordered, as well as those who’ve helped make this book launch possible. For each release, I have many wonderful people working with me behind the scenes. This is not a one-woman job. It literally takes a village to raise up a book, from those people who are listed in the acknowledgments, to the ride or dies who faithfully share the teasers on social media.

Above: My author photo shoot with Candice Davis.
Hair by Mecca McFadden and makeup by Crystal Jennings.

Before the turn of 2019, I set a goal to put out at least one book this year. Today, I’m holding two! The journey I’ve taken so far has invigorated me. I am now starting to dream big. Look, I’m still an introvert. I don’t desire fame or anything like that. I’m just darn happy that I’ve finally realized a lifelong dream. People don’t often get to say that they’ve turned a passion into something that they can touch with their bare hands.

And let’s be honest, I can’t be in this for profit. Indies like me just starting out don’t even know what the word “profit” is. The fact is, I’ve loved to write since I was a little girl. As an adult, I’ve used that love as an escape from the stress of the world.

Since discovering the online fanfic community, I’ve been able to escape real life off and on for the past twenty years. Four years ago, that very escape reenergized me. Seeing those who’ve “escaped” just like me turn their talent into something more has been awe inspiring. They made it easier for folks like me to take that leap as well.

Today, I am smiling at my potential, and so are my family and friends. With hard work and determination, I hope to only get better. Back in June, I joined Romance Writers of America and I’m involved with the Carolina Romance Writers group. I’m learning from one book to the next, and hopefully it shows. Look…I’m not getting any younger, so if writing is something that I hope to do full-time one day, I need to pave a way to make that happen. That’s why I have a website (which I hope to improve). That’s why I decided to do an author photo shoot last Tuesday. I’m not “there” yet by any stretch of the imagination. I only have two books under my belt. However, it doesn’t hurt to get a head start on what I hope is just the very beginning of my journey as a lifelong author.

I am beyond grateful for my faithful readers in the fanfiction community who’ve decided to follow me into indie publishing, and I hope to continue to cross paths with potential new readers. I have so much planned, including one final book in 2019 (I’ll tease that more in the coming weeks). The plan for 2020 is to complete the “Nighttime Cravings” collection, which is a part of the A Nocturnal Rendezvous universe. Also, there are two other unique stories that I can’t wait to jump into. Then, I plan to close out 2020 with the start of a new series, which my fanfic readers are very familiar with. 

What Matters Most

The day before the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I was at the radiologist getting my yearly mammogram. Ever since I’ve been getting them, my mother has been at the forefront of my mind. Ma was still with us when I had my first one of these. Today, she’s been gone for well over two years. This is a very sobering procedure for me, but I need to always keep it in perspective. Had Ma and my good friend M.F. (who passed away earlier this year) done this as frequently as I am, they’d probably still be here.

Never take life for granted, folks. We only get one. Make sure you are getting checked regularly. And if you have a family history like I do (my first cousin is currently battling the disease), you have more reason to do so.

Lessons Learned

I decided to do a wide release for On the Other Side due to the subject matter. This does not mean that I won’t pull the eBook from wide for a time and place it in Kindle Unlimited.

I am also considering an initial wide release for my third book. The benefit of working with an aggregator is that it’s a one-stop shop to get your book out to all of the ebook outlets. You don’t need eighty passwords to manage your uploads.

Working with a third party for print has also helped me to avoid the issue that I had with my first release. Last time, I didn’t have the benefit of having a Bookbub “New Release Alert” eblast since my paperback was listed on Amazon for sale before the official launch. This time around, I was able to ensure that both the paperback and the eBook came out on the same day. I was also able to have that New Release Alert, which I was happy about.

What went wrong? Well…as you can see in the image above, Apple Books did not update the cover after the reveal, nor did they update the actual eBook on their site. So, if you downloaded On the Other Side from iBooks, you did not receive the final copy of the book. My apologies to everyone who ordered the book from there. I am still working hard to resolve this issue. As a result, I’ve taken down the Apple Books link from my universal links page for the book and I am not pushing folks to go there. Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play and Kobo all have the right version. I’m not sure why it’s so hard for my aggregator to work with Apple.

If you have downloaded from iBooks, please send me an email at tkcherryfiction@gmail.com, and I will personally send you the correct EPUB as a workaround until my aggregator and Apple get it together.

Next time, I’ll be sure to not upload anything wide until it’s absolutely ready to go. No more placeholders for me, unless it’s just on Amazon. A lesson learned on my part. C’est la vie!

Final Thoughts

Congratulations to the winners of my two release day raffles! They both have been contacted and their prizes have been disbursed. If you like what you see in the signed book swag pack, you too can get it by ordering it here.

Alright folks, back in the writing cave I go. It’s been a jam-packed week and a half. I have one more takeover to do over at the Dirty Moms Book Club Party Room this Thursday at 5:30 pm to celebrate Lilian Harris’ debut release. After that, I’m done with the takeover circuit until I finish this third book!

Stay sweet, everyone! – TK🍒