The End in The Beginning

I’ve always said that my first series is called Harmony Ends, but that was always just the beginning.

How strange that the cycle of starting at the finish line keeps cropping up.

One of the more unpleasant tasks on the to-do list for re-launching the series was un-publishing Earth Song, Blood Shield, and Wing Strike. I expected that day to hurt. Of course it did. No matter the circumstances, failure loomed in my mind as I clicked through all the buttons to take down my first few self-published books.

But at the same time… I felt liberated. Uplifted. Motivated.

What a relief it is to find some comfort in, of all things, the end of my firsts. And it could not have come at a better time.

From personal experience, it’s uncommon to feel so positive in the days before publication. Self-doubt grows louder as the stress of marketing replaces the routine cycles of writing, editing, and proofing. The anticipation going into release day slips all too easily into anxiety.

But this time… I’m riding this wave of unexpected hope for as long as it lasts.

I can’t be sure exactly why this optimism has taken root. Maybe it’s because I’ve already published these stories before so the nerves are less. Maybe it’s just the natural churn between highs and lows.

But I suspect, it’s because I’m comfortable with the end of an era. Whether it’s shelving my first titles, or laying the foundation for a world of musical magic and shifter kin, I know that in every ending, these is always a new start.