August 2, 2018

Every author looks forward to release day, the day they can share their book with the world. A day when they say goodbye to characters that have consumed them for months. Finally, the diligence is paying off.

If there are no distractions or family emergencies, I can write a book in two months. That’s working eight hours a day, five days a week. It takes another month to six weeks to read it, edit it, read it again, polish it, read it for errors and then nervously hand it over to beta readers for their opinion.

Each of my books have been a different experience. The day I finished Shadows of Déjà vu I had the house to myself. For once the telephone was quiet and the epilog was in sight. Then…the power went out! I couldn’t believe it! I stared at the blank screen in awe. Fortunately for me, my computer backs itself up every few minutes and when the power came back on twenty minutes later, my manuscript was still there. Longest twenty minutes of my life.

Choosing the right cover is another component to releasing a book. The covers for Persistent Intruder and Love Again jumped out at me. Shadows of Déjà vu not so. I must have looked over the website of covers three different times before I found something that caught my eye.

Remember I said each book is a new experience? During this time, four author friends and I decided to get together for author photos. We spent a Saturday together with a professional photographer, laughing and posing for hundreds of shots. This is one I’m thinking of adding to my website. I also have a “what if” pose.

Amid all this, I decided to start an author newsletter – Kay Uncorked – which took some planning and coordinating with my webmaster. Thanks, Ann!

Release day is almost like a wedding. So much goes into it but the result is a sigh of relief if all goes smoothly and that another book has been accomplished. Now, I can move on to the next one. I hope everyone will enjoy Shadows of Déjà vu.