I'm trying not to open this update on a sour note but today seems to be one in which everything has piled up and reared it's head. I could easily add up everything that's gone wrong since the first of the year and use that list as evidence that I'm not meant to be a author...but I won't do that. Instead, I'm going to do this:

I opened the year on a time crunch but felt good. Everything was wrapping up and waiting for release on the 19th. Then my computer fan died and my computer never woke up. Thankfully it was an easy fix, just buy a new fan which was surprisingly affordable. Unfortunately these fans aren't sold at the local Best Buy and Radio Shack doesn't exists anymore. I waited a few more days than I should have and had to wait an agonizing week for it to arrive. Meanwhile, I was all set for Amazon to publish on schedule before I realized I hadn't uploaded the latest, most correct version of Bellerose & Blinov so I panicked for a day or two then decided the best thing to do would be to delay the release for a week. The new release date, the 26th, was actually kind of kismet. 26 is such a good number for me, I had long assigned the 26th as Dmitry Blinov's birthday...January 26th. Pretty fun.



Fast forward to my computer being back up and running, me uploading the final, most correct, version of B&B to KDP and I went live as scheduled. Finally. After two years of planning, writing, scheduling, prepping, reaching out, editing, cutting, rewriting, learning countless new things, getting out of my comfort zone and being the number one-the sole advocate for B&B my characters, their world and the book is out in the world!!!!



Partially.

Because the ebook on Kindle is totally out and live and available. But the paperback, the version I recommend the most, is live and out but not available.



Through some glitch in the system everything is as it should be but the print version is just not populating that is is available on sale on Amazon. The timeline on Amazon says that it vould take up to 3 days, so despite this never happening to me with a print version before, I wanted until the 29th to reach out. I was told to wait one more day and I'd get an updated email on Saturday. Friday passed, Saturday passed. Not only is the print version still not available but I never received that email. I reached out again to someone who helpfully told me my book was available in India...uh, no, that is not helpful! I live in the US, I need my book available where I am! He also helpfully told me Amazon doesn't print in India so it must be through third parties...as if then he did email! Nothing solved- he was escalating the problem to tech which would take up to another 48 hours! Ohh my. So I have to wait until tomorrow to hear anything, fingers crossed I do and the problem is solved. I'm wondering of perhaps I'll have to delete the paperback on KDP and start over? I'm nervous about any print book I upload not being made available after this even though, again, I have 4 other paperback available and had no trouble with them.

So that is what it is, best to move that aside and focus on something else for now. What I've tried to do differently with B&B versus previous books is acquire ARC readers. I definitely should have started the process earlier but then again, I think I could have put in a lot more work had my computer not kept me out of the game for over a week. But my release date neared so I looked into Netgalley and quickly decided a no for that. It's just too expensive for me. I continued to research and found Booksirens which was much more affordable and had a doable system that I really liked. I applied last Saturday and checked my status on Monday. I was rejected.



Wow. I'm sure it was because they've just got too many books like mine already but the rejection just hit me so hard on top of everything else that had already or that is currently happening to me and this book. It just felt like the universe was collectively against me and B&B and it didn't care and what would I do? This was my sign that I'm not meant to be an author, I'm just wasting my time and it's not meant for me. And when I chronicled the depressing day's events in my planner I involuntary, without the purposeful thought in my head, I wrote to myself:

Don't Give Up.



So what if things didn't work out the first or tenth time? Everything I've ever wanted has been a fight, why should this be different? I'm still B&B's number one advocate, I still have things I want to do, I have backup plans and I'm still in the fight. It will be more challenging than I thought but I will find B&B's audience.