It's here...

Bonus celebratory coupon code down there somewhere, too!

   I was just about to start my exercise while watching Ice Road Truckers, when the doorbell rang. I've been expecting a few parcels lately, and both Seeg and I have been hoping that Mass Effect 3 N7 has been shipped sooner than its release date (it hasn't), so I didn't exactly run to the door, but when I saw the shape of the parcel the post man held out to me, along with some dull catalogues because I placed an order with a website once, my face just dropped. I don't know what he must have thought, but my heart was pounding. I took the parcel, then ran upstairs (I thanked him and shut the door, of course) and began trying to open it.

   Seeg was already in the room at the time, but he just watched me struggle. I was shaking with excitement, which was why it took me so long, but he just sat back and let me do it. And there it was. Two years of work, right there in front of me.

My book had arrived.

   I still can't believe it even now. And I'll tell you something that's really stupid as well, when I lifted it out of the box, and I opened the book up, I just started crying. Quite a lot. Not just a tear, but properly crying. I had been concerned for a few days that the font may have been too big, but it's about one size bigger than what I usually find in hardback books, so it's fine. It's quite heavy as well, it's just wonderful. My cover is unimaginative - I don't have one so I just went for filling it dark red and used a white font. On the back where the blurb should be it just states that it's the first ever copy of the book, and when I finished it.

   I'm so happy to have it - so happy. My dad never really knew much about the book, in truth I thought he never really cared since he never asked me about it, but he couldn't stop himself from smiling when I showed him the printed copy. He just kept staring at it. Seeg is the first in line to read the completed thing, then him, and then one of my friends.

   This means nothing for my career, not really. I'm not making it available to purchase on lulu or anywhere else - I did it for me, and only for me. To have a physical thing to show for all my work, aside from a poorly-kept ring binder and a memory stick. No, this does nothing for my career, but it does a massive amount for my confidence. Everything that was posted this morning about it still matters, of course, but I have renewed confidence now.

   It's an amazing feeling, to just hold the book. I can hardly put it down. I look at it and I just need to feel it. I always felt kind of ameteurish whenever I read the writing on the laptop or handwritten on paper. It just seemed so far from a real book. I used to email the chapters to Seeg, then I'd give them to him when he moved here, but I always felt a bit shy and stupid when he read them. But now that it's been printed, it's been bound, and it's sat all nice and new and...book-like in front of me, I truly feel I've accomplished more than I thought. I mean, I wrote a book. It's finished, it's in front of me right now...it's just...right there.

   Sorry, I know I sound a little bit high or something but I assure you I'm not. I'm just so excited. So excited. I have to get this cover letter and synopsis written asap. I have to get this moving.

 Hell yes. Feel free to use the code Trilogy for 15% off of either of my shops for the next few days to celebrate. The discount will be bigger when I get an agent ;P and I've just added a new envelope necklace!

Peaches and Pebbles ♥ Dandelion Grenade