If youโve been following me at all, you may be mildly aware that I opened myself back up to writing in April of last year, sitting in the front seat of my then 2002 tan Toyota 4Runner, tap-tapping fanatically on my little iPadโs keyboard while my daughter reluctantly honed her karate skills. (She has since quit. Because she hated it.)
It may be a fitting time then, an anniversary celebration of sorts, to share that I celebrated my first publication this past February. Itโs a tiny bit, a flash CNF if you will, aside six other authors. I submitted my piece to Free Spirit/Poets Choice1 via Submittable in September, and by February, I was holding the book in my hands, eyeing my name printed on the page of an actual paperback bound book.
Though I was elated, I did not announce this right away, even to friends and family. I only told three people about it the moment I found out my piece had been accepted: my husband, my best friend, and my writing buddy. Even to this day, you, Dear Reader, are the fourth among the list of people with whom I have personally shared this accomplishment. My husband and my writing buddy shared the news for me, because I have been and still am too modest and embarrassed by a success to call my own, outside of motherhood, wifehood, and homemaking, which have been my main focus for the past 12 years.
โItโs a very small, unknown publication,โ I would explain when friends came up to congratulate me. โAnd my piece is very, very short.โ
I belittled my achievement, although I know that if this had been flipped around, and a friend had been published, and they were minimizing what it was, I would tell them:
โYou are allowed to be proud of your successes, no matter how big or small you deem them. You did the work and then got recognized for it. There is reason to celebrate.โ
But, of course, we do not treat ourselves as we do our loved ones, do we? Especially as women.
So, here I am, a solid two-plus months after the fact, finally announcing that I am a published author. It may be small, but it does not change the fact that I am indeed published in print, for the first time in my life since my high school publications (which some people may or may not countโI do, because I did the work and was recognized).
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If you would like to purchase the anthology, you of course are more than welcome to. I did enjoy some of the other works printed alongside mine, too, which included fiction as well as non fiction. I recommend the e-book for those that prefer an option friendlier for their budget. If you just love to have a physical copy to satisfy your sense of touch, as I do, a physical copy is available as well.
If you are absolutely curious as to what my published CNF is about, but do not want to purchase either book, I will have it below for paid subscribers, a gesture of gratitude for your support. ๐ซถ๐ผ
I thank you so much for taking a moment out of your day to read about a success that I long should have shared. When my oldest daughter found out, a young girl who began writing her own stories (of her own accord, I promise I had little to no influenceโshe arrived at this outlet herself), she beamed at me.
โOh my,โ she teased playfully, โIโm related to a published author!โ And though she jokes about being braggy about her mom doing this one cool thing, I know that even if this is the only publication I ever acquire, I have set a good example for her.
Without realizing it, I have shown her that we can do the things; we can do them on our own. We can do the work, and try and try and try, and when we are recognized for it, we can be happy in it. Because we earned it, and we are worthy.
![](https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/w_1456,c_limit,f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2Fd4aa7d18-19cb-4b3c-99ac-9bcc8468463f_932x925.png)
Free Spirit/Poets Choice is a publisher that spans across 59 countires. From their website: Poets Choice & Free Spirit LLC is a legally registered entity based in the vibrant city of New York, USA and our literary presence knows no bounds, extending across the globe.
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