I’m almost three months out from publication. What kind of emails pop up in my inbox? What are my publicist, editor, and agent talking about? I’m giving you a sneak peek to find out!

I may have an English degree, but I never took a single creative writing class in college or otherwise. I have, however, learned a lot from other resources. Here are a few of my favorite.

Book 2 really is hard.

If you talk to nearly any writer, they will explain that book 2, or a sophomore book, is harder than book 1. My journey so far…

Reader reactions to books are fickle friends.

Before I got to peek behind the curtain of publishing, I thought everyone had to wait until a book went on sale to read it.

I was wrong.

Writing a query was one of the hardest parts of getting a literary agent. My second book didn’t get any requests, and while some of that may be from querying in the pandemic, I also know my query was not strong. Here’s how I made a difference for the book that got me an agent and a book deal.

Getting to see a book cover is one of the most exciting pieces of the publishing process so far, but it has not been easy. Everyone has a different experience, but I thought it might be helpful to share mine.

I did something in July I never thought I could do. I wrote a book in a month. Here’s part of my process:

One source estimates only 75% of writers traditionally publish a second book. Getting to publish one book is incredible. But now I’m left wondering: Can I write another book just as good?