The Year It Took to Get Here

This week, something big happened.

My books went live.

They’re officially available on Amazon and a few other ebook retailers — and even typing that still feels a little surreal. Not because it happened overnight, but because it didn’t.

This moment represents a full year of showing up.

The Quiet Work No One Sees

What people see now is a finished product — a book they can download, read, and hold in their hands.

What they didn’t see was the year behind it.

The early mornings and late nights. The drafts that didn’t work. The chapters I rewrote more times than I can count. The moments where I questioned whether the story was good enough, whether I was good enough, and whether I should keep going at all.

Writing these books wasn’t just a creative project. It became a practice in patience, discipline, and trust.

Writing Through Change

This past year hasn’t been static. My life has been shifting — personally, emotionally, and practically — and the writing had to happen inside all of that.

Some days I wrote with excitement and clarity. Other days I wrote through exhaustion, doubt, or uncertainty. There were weeks where progress felt invisible, and moments where quitting felt easier than continuing.

But I kept coming back to the page.

Not because it was always easy — but because the stories mattered to me.

Finishing Is Its Own Kind of Bravery

There’s something vulnerable about finishing a book.

Starting feels hopeful. Dreamy. Full of possibility.

Finishing means letting it exist outside of you. It means allowing others to see something that once lived only in your head. It’s an act of courage I didn’t fully appreciate until now.

Getting these books live required more than writing. It meant editing, formatting, choosing cover art, learning platforms, and making decisions I had never made before.

It meant believing that the work was worth sharing.

A Quiet Celebration

I’m not marking this moment with fireworks or fanfare.

Instead, I’m letting myself feel proud — something I don’t always slow down enough to do. Proud of the consistency. Proud of the resilience. Proud that I finished something meaningful during a year that asked a lot of me.

This week isn’t just about books going live.

It’s about honoring the effort it took to get here.

What Comes Next

There’s more I want to write. More ideas forming quietly in the background. But for now, I’m letting this moment land.

If you’re working on something that feels slow, invisible, or hard — I hope this reminds you that progress doesn’t always announce itself.

Sometimes, it just shows up one day and says: You did it.

Question for you: What’s something you’ve been working on quietly that you’re proud of — even if no one else sees it yet?

Until the next chapter—may your coffee be strong and your heart stay open, and you always lead with kindness
— Jen