After 55 months of labor, I’m so happy to welcome my newest bundle of joy:

A Matter of Heart officially released last Tuesday, May 12th. It was pretty much like giving birth to a baby but without the epidural.

I was having pains all morning. My stomach hurt and I hadn’t been able to sleep much in days. I was in a bit of a stupor just wanting it to be over, hoping it would go well, hoping it wouldn’t hurt too much, hoping for no complications.

OK, so maybe I’m exaggerating the drama a little. After all, a book launch party isn’t life and death. But on the other hand, I was introducing my book baby to a whole audience of people who would soon hold my baby. They would be able to look it over, head to toe, and would they find flaws? Well, just in case they did, I was prepared with a distraction.

Heart-y-Treats

As it turned out, it was an amazing night. The party was at Changing Hands Bookstore, one of the coolest independent bookstores anywhere. Brandi Stewart, the amazing bookseller, had lots of books on hand, all spread out in a—yes, you guessed it— heart shape.

A wonderful group of people turned out. Friends, family, book lovers…an old teacher of mine from high school who saw the announcement in the paper. Wow.

A wonderful audience

Best of all, I got to share the spotlight with Sharon Bates, founder of the Anthony Bates Foundation. (For those of you who don’t know this already, A Matter of Heart features a character with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy, a heart condition that strikes teen athletes.) Sharon lost her son to HCM and her mission is to bring heart tests to high schools so no other teen athlete will ever die from a hidden heart condition. A portion of sales from this book will go the foundation and I was very happy to give Sharon a first check at the party.

Sharon Bates, the heart and soul of the Anthony Bates Foundation

So, that’s the story of my book baby’s birthday. I’m thrilled that Heart is out in the world. I hope my baby will bring happiness to many readers. Including you!

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