About that children’s book I shopped around …
Stuck in the Bushes is a repetitive picture book that elicits giggles from children as the Stuck family cries from the bushes for an entire night. I decided to look around for a place to self-publish it as an ebook and stumbled upon Smashwords.
I think I spent a couple of days poring over that site. I downloaded books for my Nook, but I was mostly fascinated by the variety of self-published items. They ranged from stories of only a few hundred words to epic novels.
As I looked deeper into formatting a children’s book, I realized there would be quite a few hurdles, especially with the artwork. I put the story back in the drawer, but I visited Smashwords every day. I read samples and appreciated that people were so brave to just put their work out there.
I read once that if you wanted to be a writer, you should just write. Write something every day even if it’s only a paragraph. It was 11:00 one evening, and a thought popped into my head. I opened a blank page in Word, and one paragraph came out:
My perfectly restored ‘67 Chevy Chevelle careened around the corner at Walsh and Park, the tires squealing in an effort to get my attention. I was angry, and my mind was reeling. I was thinking of all the ways I wanted to kill him. People on the sidewalk were staring at me as I flew by, and I knew I had to get a grip on more than just the steering wheel. Carbide City was known for speed traps, and I didn’t need another ticket. Why are restored muscle cars magnets for cops and tickets anyway?
I was on my way.
Breezy Books 
I did enjoy the first paragraph of your book. It has action and emotion and makes you want to know why she was so mad. Cheers! YFS (your friendly stalker)
Thank you! If you keep this up, you will see how terribly insecure I was about writing. My confidence is still not high, but before I had any reviews or feedback, I was sick to my stomach that I put my silly books out there and started a blog. Have you ever deleted a post? I deleted two along the way. One was for a silly post when I got a blob of deodorant in my eye and it was like glue. It was just so stupid, I deleted it about a month later – complete with likes and comments. The other post I deleted within eight hours. I basically had a meltdown and confessed I didn’t have a passion for writing, it was just a fun diversion, and I was tired of reading about how everything I was doing was wrong. It makes me laugh now, but I’m glad I deleted it, and that I kept writing and blogging.
you are lots braver then I am! I would never post my book online, well not yet anyway. You are a natural writer girl! I have never deleted a post. I figure it’s all me, insecurities and all. I like to go back and see how I’ve grown. I’m glad you kept going. 🙂