I told you on Monday that when the proof copy for The Beauty Thief showed up I’d let you have a sneak peek at the book!

It came yesterday evening, but I was so wrapped up in my feelings of shock, seeing my story look so professional and REAL that I couldn’t stop ogling it long enough to write a post (not to mention, I have a family and evenings I’m not working need to belong to them as much as possible). 🙂

My tween daughter laid on the floor with her nose literally stuck between the pages, sniffing in the “new book” smell she adores so much.

My husband is reading through it, looking for any noticeable mistakes my brain keeps auto-correcting. He said, “No one will believe me when I tell them this is a good book.”  He says this because he loves me and figures everyone will think he’s just saying it because of that.  He’s not one to ever give false compliments, which is one reason I appreciate him.  He also rarely reads a book more than once because he never forgets anything that he’s read.  Things are not fresh, and he remembers every twist in the plot, every secret the author waits to divulge.  It tends to ruin a story for him.  This is his third time reading through the book for me, and he’s surprised that he still enjoys it even though the plot is nothing new to him.  Part of that is definitely because he loves me . . . maybe most of it, but it is still a big win.

I’m seeing some formatting I think I’d like to correct, and I’ll get right on that. There are some typos still, likely caused by that last run through I did, which could easily be considered a “run.”

Nothing major, though, overall. I love how it has come together, inside and out!

I went with the matte finish for the cover, but it is showing all the fingerprints and they don’t wipe off. I’m going to do one more proof after fixing any errors and formatting but with a glossy cover instead. Either way, it will turn out great!

I’m excited. If you were in the same room with me right now, you’d see a thirty-odd-year-old woman jumping up and down, hugging a book like it was a winning lottery ticket. I can’t seem to describe what this whole endeavor has meant to me, but writing this book was something I HAD to do. It wasn’t just a want-to thing.  I MUST continue, too. I need to do it more than I need coffee and almost as much as I need to breathe.

I didn’t realize this about myself until a year ago: I love to write, and I want to do it every day. Can I call it a talent? Doubt that, but it certainly is something I enjoy and want to bless others with where ever possible.

If you could have any talent in the world, what would you want to be able to do?