Everyone has reasons why they do the things the way they do them. I have done things the hard way since childhood. The reward is tastier. Call me stubborn because I am, but like I said…in the end, when you do things the hard way, it can be extremely satisfying. It can also be highly frustrating and soul-crushing. 

I hear often—why don’t you just self-publish your novels if you want the stories out there so badly? My answer has a few reasons behind it. Self-publishing is very expensive if you want a far reach and circulation of your project. It’s an investment in your work, but the costs are endless—publicists, marketing, promotion, editing, etc. 

Personally, I need the recognition and knowledge that my book is accepted by the publishing industry—the knowing that my book connected with an agent and an editor and has a place in society in a way that self-publishing cannot provide. Yes, I need the industry’s approval. Maybe someday I will feel differently. For now, I need it. 

My first novel features a main character with major sensory issues and the need to be recognized as an artist. My second novel features a main character who struggles with the loss of a friendship, which leads to anxiety, which leads to therapy, which leads to new friendships, which leads to healing. I do hope you get to meet both Nina and Freddi some day. I hope that if you have children, they will connect with one of them. They are both headstrong Jersey girls with a lot to say. They just say it in different ways. One loves art, the other loves music. One has mom problems, the other has a really empathetic dad who gets her. One is on the hunt for a valuable Skee-Ball hidden in the town, and the other one needs to know why her first friend left her. 

Here’s to doing it the hard way, waiting, being rejected, improving because the of the rejection, and finding that one agent or editor to believe in my Jersey girls.

The theme song for Freddi Birdoni: Link

Elaina