Staying in My Lane: Lessons from a Delayed Book Launch

This was supposed to be the month my book launched. All I needed to do was add the back book blurb to the cover. Easy, right? Except the artist was out on medical leave.

No worries — I told myself — I have Canva. I’ll just do it myself.

Two weeks later, I was frustrated and defeated. Turns out, I didn’t actually know how to do it. Same thing happened after watching twelve hours of “how to format a book” videos on YouTube. One small step refused to click, and I threw my hands in the air.

I’m not a graphic designer. I’m not a book formatter. And even though I feel like I should be able to figure it out, it’s just not in my wheelbarrow. Learning to be okay with that has been humbling. I had to let go of perfection and admit I needed an expert.

A Lesson in Letting Go

I used to have a password that said: I belong in any room I walk into. I typed it ten times a day, reminding myself I belonged everywhere. But one day, I realized something powerful: there are rooms I don’t want to be in.

Not every door is mine to walk through.

I’m a writer. I create stories. That’s the gift I was given — and the one I get to nurture every day. When I stopped forcing myself to be everything else, things started moving again.

I found a software that could format the book for me. The release will be delayed a couple of weeks, but as my mom would say: did you die? Nope. I didn’t. (A nod to the Gen Xer’s)

Evolving (Even When It’s Uncomfortable)

This month, I’ve also been showing up more on social media. I won’t lie, it scares my soul. But like learning to delegate, it hasn’t killed me yet either.

I still prefer being the photographer over the photographed, but I’m evolving. Promoting might not be in my genius zone, but it’s one of those rooms I do belong in. No one can tell my story like I can. And thanks to Canva’s copy-and-paste magic, I can at least look like I know what I’m doing.

Accepting Help and Investing in Growth

Even rebuilding my website was a lesson. With ChatGPT’s help, I followed every step and still ran into roadblocks. (I even checked if I was having a personal Mercury retrograde.)

My background is in tech support, and yet, I had to remind myself: even back then, I passed off what I couldn’t fix.

It’s time to invest in people who know what they’re doing. Freebies will only take you so far. Burnout isn’t a badge of honor — it’s a signal to focus your energy on what matters most. For me, that’s writing the best novel I can.

The Takeaway

This month’s biggest lesson? When something fails, look at why. It’s rarely because you aren’t smart enough. It’s usually because it’s not your lane.

Your genius is elsewhere. Find that zone and shine there.

Author + Book Update

I’m excited to announce that Go Get the Priestess will still be released this fall — just a few weeks later, in November. With a proper back book blurb this time 😁

October will be all about prepping for Novel Writing November. My third book, That Night on the Bridge, is halfway written, and while I probably won’t finish it in the next two weeks, I’ll be writing right alongside you.