I really felt like giving up. Life’s challenges were overwhelming me at the time, and this book had turned into a burden I could do without. It was a weight I’d carried for three years, and it seemed irrelevant at that point – when I had so many other ‘real-life’ problems to deal with. I was deflated.

This passion project – the dream of having a book out – was an unnecessary luxury. Something I didn’t have the time nor energy for, given my circumstances. … More Behind the Book: Part 6 – Don’t dream it’s over

With a firm decision to self-publish, I wanted to start building momentum – both with an audience and within myself. I started posting individual pieces on my blog in September 2018. I included backstory to each piece – which was to be an unusual feature of the book.

I also found a few people to read the draft copy and give feedback, before finally stopping for the year. … More Behind the Book: Part 5 – Making things happen

For about one year, the book project was dormant: there was no movement from the typesetter, and my personal circumstances were also challenging – so I had little will to soldier on and make it a reality. … More Behind the Book: Part 4 – Publishing decisions

After a positive initial assessment from a professional in the publishing field, I had recruited an old acquaintance – who was a talented typesetter and book designer – to help turn this dream into a reality. However, because there was almost no budget at that point, she was taking it on as a favour – which inevitably meant the project was low on her list of priorities. I thought I was fine with that…and initially, I was. … More Behind the Book: Part 3 – Things fall apart

Continuing from part 1, this series chronicles the journey of publishing my upcoming book. Let it Flow was originally supposed to be a “best of” – bringing together what I considered my most meaningful creative pieces published on this blog from 2006 to 2016. Given that I posted quite regularly over that decade, I had a … More Behind the Book: Part 2 – From blog to book

From an early age, I loved reading. It was my favourite pastime: the thrill of delving into other worlds…the words on the page coming to life. Naturally, that progressed to an affinity for creative writing. … More Behind the Book: Part 1 – How it all began