The Joy

As I said in my previous post, I want to take you behind the scenes and share what publishing a novel really feels like. Today, I’m talking about: The Joy.

There’s a moment in every book’s journey when the noise of drafting, revising, and second-guessing quiets — and what’s left is pure joy. Joy that you built a world from nothing but imagination and stubborn belief. Joy that these characters, once just flickers in your mind, now walk and breathe and love on the page. Joy that feels a little like falling in love, a little like finishing a marathon, and a little like discovering a secret only you know… for now.

It shows up in small ways:

The first time you see the cover and your breath catches.

The moment the story “clicks” and you realize you’ve created something real and whole.

The gentle thrill of imagining a future reader gasping at a twist or rooting for a character you adore.

And it shows up in big ways, too — like realizing that your words, your world, your heart on paper will soon belong to someone else. A stranger might laugh out loud in a coffee shop because of a sentence you wrote. Someone might stay up way too late because they have to read one more chapter. Someone might see themselves in your characters and feel a little less alone.

Release season has its challenges, its chaos, its messy moments… but this joy?

This is the part that makes everything feel worth it.

It’s the spark that keeps authors writing, even on the hard days, and the quiet reminder that stories truly do matter.