Update on I've Got the Magic in Me
Book two has been a tough journey in getting it (and me) to a place where it was feeling ready. I had a lot of resistance, left brain freak-outs, self doubt, and self sabotage show up. At first I thought it was just my ego taking me on a fear-based trip, so I tried to navigate without allowing my ego to totally derail me. (Emphasize TRIED). In the end, I felt as though I was forcing it. It didn’t feel right. Was it because of fear, or intuitive gut feelings?? I think a combination of both. Once I got a clear view of the fear, it still wasn't feeling right. And I knew that if I kept pushing myself forward through it and it already didn’t feel good, that it probably wasn’t going to ever sit well.
I realized that I cannot be scared of whether other people are going to like my book. (Duh!) I also realized that I need to absolutely love my book, be so passionately excited about it, and want to shout from the rooftops about it if I want to keep committed to the process and follow through on my vision.
In the end, I knew neither book 2, nor I, were actually really ready. It needs more incubation time (who does?!). And when I finally let go of the need to push forward with book 2, I was able to have a fantastic idea unfold of what I’m going to do with it. It needs a mild revamp but I have a plan. When we are too attached to how we ‘think’ things need to go, we can miss other opportunities, ideas, and awareness. When we are too attached, it’s like we have blinders on. This was a great lesson to learn, yet againnn. (Apparently i need to really GET IT this time!)
All of this to say that I’ve Got the Magic in Me is going back on the shelf, is going to be mildly revamped, and now is in line for position of book #4.
Luckily, I had another manuscript mostly completed and waiting. It unraveled with divine timing and is now up for Book #2 and in the editing stages. Illustration descriptions are coming together nicely as well (and with so much more ease than I’ve Got the Magic in Me).
In the midst of January’s emotional rollercoaster, another divinely timed happening (which confirms to me that I’ve made the right choice), is that as soon as I told my project manager what I was wanting to do, she mentioned they had a new illustrator they just hired. She looks fantastic and is not swamped with 15 other projects (like my previous illustrator was)! This is marvellous as the illustration time will be greatly reduced. I am still going to be more realistic with launch timing (and potential hiccups) in saying that I’m really hopeful that my next book will be available in online streams before Christmas 2018 — hopefully well before.
Once I am through the editing process I will release details on this next book. The sneak peak info is that the main character is wildly creative. 🦄
Stay tuned!
