I hate running.

It's boring, hard on the joints and takes up so much time.

Yet, despite this, when my stepdad died, I ran a marathon to raise money for a scholarship I created in his name.

Years later, I'm running a new marathon, launching a book series as a brand new author.

In many ways, it reminds me of the marathon I ran back then. It's exhausting and takes up so much time.

One thing it is not… is boring.

Even committed to this full time, managing this launch has been the equivalent of juggling three balls in the air while balancing on a unicycle.

The first ball I'm juggling is being a small business owner. I have to look out at a sea of competition to understand my niche and figure out what makes the story I worked so hard on different from millions of other new releases. I have to create project plans, manage contractors, set weekly targets, manage expenses, etc. Thank goodness I went to business school.

The second ball I'm juggling is marketing. I have to create social media content to promote my story and connect with readers. I have to create compelling ads. I have to cross promote with other authors and network with influencers to promote my work. It doesn't matter if I have the best story in the world if no one hears about it.

The third ball I'm juggling is being a writer. On top of the work above, I'm still writing and revising my third book, with a plan to release it in January of next year. This is a ball I've been dropping. I planned to get my first draft completed by August, but, at my time of writing, I still have a handful of chapters left to go.

And of course the unicycle is life, trying to keep my balance while moving forward.

I don't like running... unless I'm doing something important.

This is important. This is worth it.

There is something special about creating something from nothing.

What started as a vague idea in my head has turned into a series with two (and soon to be three) books released to the public.

It's scary.

It's exciting.

It's what it's like to be an author, and I wouldn't change it for the world.

With a little over a month until Disciple of Sin is released to the public, early reader support means so much right now. If you're still on the fence, please consider joining my ARC campaign to get the first book in my series for free in return for an honest review. Early reviews are essential to encourage new readers to check out my work and to qualify for promotional newsletters like Bookbub to spread awareness. Thank you for your support!

Until next time,

J. W. Weld

​

P.S. Next week, I'm beating the allegations.

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