Transformation #1 of 2021: Getting Published! 1/18/2021

In case you missed it, my #oneword2021 is TRANSFORMATION. I wanted to take the strides I made in 2020 and take them to the next level. Well, today, I did just that.

I signed a book deal to publish my manuscript, TRANSFORM: Techy Notes To Make Learning Sticky in Elementary School with Road to Awesome, LLC !

I can hardly believe it...

The last couple of weeks have truly been a whirlwind! It all started on December 24th when I responded to a Twitter post @RoadtoAwesome asking if you had a story to tell. I sent a message back saying that I was working on a draft on a book. At that time, I only had about 12,000 words done. Darrin Peppard from Road to Awesome responded that if I needed any help to let him know.

I left that one as an open invitation initially, but just a few days later, my perspective changed, I had watched a Teachers on Fire Roundtable, where Rachelle Dene Poth, David Frangiosa and Jillian DuBois were describing their journeys as authors. It was then that I realized that I could start submitting my manuscript.

So I wrote Darrin Peppard and I asked if we could meet. We met the following Wednesday. We spent close to 90 minutes on a Zoom call that day. I was delighted when he seemed impressed. But even more than that, the call got my creative juices flowing. I couldn't wait to get back to writing!

All this happened in 2020-

So all of this excitement was happening as we concluded 2020- spending time talking to a publisher was definitely the greatest CHALLENGE that I had undertaken that year. It was energizing! I started writing with a passion that I couldn't quite describe. Before I knew it, I had close to 30,000 words.

2021 started and I was on fire writing. I quickly fell back in love with my book, with writing again. So imagine my surprise when I received an email from Darrin with a contract on January 3, 2021. Now I am sure you are confused now- today is January 18, 2021- 15 days later. Well, here goes...

After the initial excitement of getting the contract, I got very protective of my work. I had never signed a contract before and never published a book before. I went over my contract and met up with Darrin the following weekend with 23 questions. Darrin is such an awesome and inspiring guy! He spent another 60 minutes with me, answering all my questions.

I told him that I would go over all the details and we would meet the next weekend. I spent that week preparing to make my final decision. My manuscript had become like my baby and I wanted to make the just right choice for it. That week, I talked to a few other authors like Jillian DuBois and Rachelle Dene Poth- I wanted to hear how they felt and if they had any words of wisdom. But ultimately, I knew it had to be my decision, I couldn't have anyone else make it.

All of this was happening as...

I was reading a new book by Darrin Peppard, The Road to Awesome. It was as I finished the book that my decision became so clear. Why I had talked to Darren for close to 155 minutes in the past few weeks, why I would go into a writing frenzy after our calls- he inspired me! I knew that I could trust him to take my book and transform it to reach its full potential. I knew how much he believed in my book and in my story and suddenly, I knew that I wanted him to publish my story.

My husband and I talked and agreed that I would sign the Monday after bringing my son back to West Virginia. I was finally ready to take my manuscript to the next level!

So 18 days into 2021...

One of my grandest and biggest dreams is becoming a reality- the challenge that Jay Billy dared me to do back in 2019 on a #LeadLAP chat. I am taking my book on "The Road to Awesome" and becoming a published author! My manuscript, my story, will go from the drive of my computer and be TRANSFORMED into a published book! WOW!

So keep an eye out for my book in 2021- we are already in the editing stages! Like the beauty of watch a caterpillar transforming into a butterfly, I can't wait to watch this transformation. None of this would have happened without my amazing #PLN- all of you inspire me every day.

Subscribe to my website to get the latest updates about my upcoming book, TRANSFORM: Techy Notes to Make Learning Sticky In Elementary School, and learn about all upcoming blog posts.

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