by Tari Faris, @FarisTari

This week was a first for me. I released a story to the world. No this isn’t my debut novel that releases in Septemeber. This is the prequel novella that I am giving away to my newsletter subscribers. What I didn’t expect was that after putting it out there last Wednesday, I was emotionally on edge on Thursday.

Why?

This was the first time my words were out there for the masses to judge.

Before this, I had friends look at it, family members, coworkers. And even when they provided negative feedback, it was done in love.  They cared about me and they cared about my story.

But now, it was out there for people who didn’t know me and had no investment in my story to judge. The question that kept bouncing in my brain was:  What if isn’t good enough?

It wasn’t even like I had the back up of a publishing house on this one. This was one I was putting out on my own. I did it to introduce readers to my writing and the characters they will meet in my debut novel, You Belong with Me. But what if it backfired and people hated it? What if . . .  What if. . . What if . . .

If you find yourself here, STOP!

Deep Breath.

And do 3 mental cartwheels.

1. Catalog your emotions to tap into them for your writing in the future (nothing wasted).
2. Remember who called me on this journey. God has got this.
3. Failure isn’t the end of the world and we can learn from that too. But worrying about it won’t change the outcome at this point. Keep your eyes upward and onward.

So that is what I did and the day got smoother after that.

Then the best part–I started getting emails from people I didn’t even know.

• I LOVED the story!   Can’t wait to read the book in September!  ~Bonnie P.
• Thanks for sharing the novella for free!  I just finished it and can’t wait until September for the first book. I loved all the quirks in PS Goodbye about living in a small town with everyone being connected & knowing everyone’s business. Thank you for creating amazing Christian fiction! ~ Deanna S.
• I was in fact up late finishing it. It was a great story. I went to find the next one online but now I have to wait until September. That’s not fair.  ~ Tawni P.
• I don’t usually email authors after I read their books but I felt like I had to this time. I finished P.S. Goodbye last night and I am in love lol. The only disappointment was finding out I had to wait till September to read the next part. You are a new author to me and I am very excited to read your upcoming books. Thank you for writing your stories.   ~ Hannah
• I am reading “P.S. Goodbye” right now, and I am LOVING IT!!!   I am also glad to know you are writing more stories about Heritage because I love the town and the people… I can see this will be a place I will want to return to again and again!  ~Jan H.
• Thank you for the free Novella PS Goodbye, I really enjoyed reading about Caroline and Grant! I immediately was immersed in it, felt as I was part of the story, and could not put it down, that’s the kind of books I love!!! I look forward to reading Hannah and Luke’s story, thank you again, God Bless! ~ Lauren B.
• Thank you, Tari! I just started reading your novella and was hooked right away. I haven’t had that happen in a long time. Looking forward to the next book! ~Dineen M.

Talk about a turnaround. But then I was caught up on the other side of the emotional roller coaster. And while the good news is worth celebrating, this is just a dot in my journey. So I took the time to do the same three cartwheels.

1. I cataloged my emotions to tap into them in my writing in the future (nothing wasted).
2. Remember who called me on this journey. God has got this. (In this case, I need to remember to stay humble)
3. Success isn’t the end. Keep my eyes upward and onward.

So when my debut novel comes out in September, you can bet I will be doing a lot of mental cartwheels on both ends of the rollercoaster.

To download a free copy of my prequel novella, P.S. Goodbye, CLICK HERE.

You Belong with Me

What Secrets Are Hiding Behind the Doors of this Small Town?

Real estate agent Hannah Thornton loves the historic community of Heritage, Michigan. Unfortunately, selling houses is not one of her fortes. She sees each house and the larger town of Heritage as something to be valued, not sold off to the highest bidder. When a business mogul arrives in town determined to exploit the land and build a new strip mall, Hannah is determined to stop him from bulldozing her town’s past. At first, no one supports her efforts—not even her best friend, Luke. Can Hannah help the town of Heritage see that true value lies in the things you cannot put a price tag on?

Even though Luke Johnson has grown up in Heritage as a foster child, he never truly felt like he belonged. Anxious to earn his place in the town and in Hannah’s heart, Luke applies for the job of assistant fire chief. But Luke does not anticipate the interview process to unearth secrets from his past he has kept carefully hidden. Will the pain of being honest be worth the risk? Can he pull down the walls he’s erected around his bruised heart?

Tari Faris has been writing fiction for thirteen years but has been creating fiction in her head as long as she can remember. She signed with Revell for her debut novel – You Belong with Me – which will be released in September 2019. She is represented by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Management and is a member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was the 2017 Genesis winner, 2016 Genesis finalist, and 2014 Genesis finalist. In addition to her writing, she also works for My Book Therapy as a special project manager and blog coordinator for LearnHowToWriteANovel.com . When she is not writing or working, she spends time with her amazing husband and kids. In her free time, she loves coffee, rock hounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. You can connect with her at www.tarifaris.com