February is finally here. January does seem like the longest month ever, doesn't it? I find that in Utah, February just sets you up for a lot of disappointment. I don't mean Valentines day, I mean the weather. We get a little bit of warming in February, usually up to 50 or 60 degrees. Everyone gets out their summer clothes, hoping for a warm summer! But inevitably we will all be disappointed when in snows in March and April and there we are out in the cold with our flip flops and capris, sloshing through the ice mud and tears.
Last month was full of firsts and excitement for me. My first Novel was released on the 10th, Enduring Promises of the Heart. I had a really fun Facebook launch party. I had my first reviews, all 5 stars, (thanks Mom! Lol, jk, It wasn't just my mom) and I had my first scathing review from someone I thought was a friend.
She held nothing back, she even went so far as to insult my editors. Well, I expected that not everyone would like my book, but you don't expect so called friends to tell you uncouthly, that it stinks and it should be completely rewritten.
Why am I telling you this? Well, first off, I don't think my book stinks, #biased, but it was a pretty hard blow to my ego and my frailty as a feeling human being. I've striven for years to make something great and put myself out there which makes one feel vulnerable. I'm not going to hash out all the reasons I feel like she was so disparaging, but this experience did have a positive side, and it taught me something important about success.
Success is not giving up, success is getting your hands dirty, success is doing something that others won't even try.
Upon hearing about my problem, my sweet brother sent me this.
"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; . . . who at best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly." -Teddy Roosevelt
I want you to go out and do something that you have been afraid to do. Be brave. Take negative criticism and brush it off your shoulders. Stand up tall and say, "I did it." Because that is how we win, that is how we succeed, that is how we build an amazing life for ourselves!
-Valerie Loveless
If you are a Pride and Prejudice fan, check out this retelling!
What I'm reading this week: Safe House
Book Deals!
If you love a good romance novel during February then check out this huge $50 gift card giveaway and free downloads from loads of authors (me included). Be sure to share it with your friends, you don't want them missing out on this opportunity.
