I Almost Missed My Book Release

Reflections on Broken Plans, Quiet Celebrations, and Why the Show Must Go On

I am a morning person. However, before you form an image in your mind of me skipping along happily at 5:00 a.m., just waiting for the sun to rise with a smile on my face and a cup of coffee in my hands, you’d be mistaken. (The coffee is there, but the smile and the skipping? Not unless we’re getting ready to rope drop at Disneyland.)

What I mean when I say, “I’m a morning person,” is that, while I love the early mornings, the quiet, the alone time, the sky as dawn approaches, I’m not always in the best mood when my alarm goes off in the dark. I want to stay in my warm bed. I want to sleep. My mind knows the truth: The day is always better when I begin early, with time to myself—time with the Lord. But my body doesn’t always agree. “No!” my exhausted everything shouts as I hit snooze on my blaring phone. “Just thirty more minutes.”

Sometimes my mind wins. Sometimes my body wins. It’s a daily battle—one I lost the morning of my book release.

It’s no secret this year has brought its trials. I’ve shared in the past about how Glass Across the Sea was nearly lost amidst the storm. This year, more than ever, I’ve come to a deeper understanding of what Proverbs 16:9 really means.

“The mind of man plans his way, but the Lord directs his steps.” — Proverbs 16:9

I had all these big plans for my book release yesterday. I was going to get up early (just like I usually do Monday through Friday) and write something here to celebrate first thing. Then I would enjoy my hot coffee slowly, take my time getting ready, and spend my morning working and writing at my local coffee shop once my kids were dropped off at homeschool co-op.

You can probably guess by now that my morning did not go as planned. I did not get up early. In fact, I stopped my alarm on three separate occasions, and by the time I got out of bed, I was rushing to get a single post up on Instagram and make my kids’ lunches. I did not post anything here. My coffee was cold by the time I took the second sip. I threw on the same outfit I wore the day before (because laundry doesn’t do itself). I barely had time to shower, and I definitely didn’t put on makeup. My husband was in a car accident early in the morning (he’s okay), and my son was having all the nerves about his first-ever theatre showcase the same evening. (He was amazing and we are so proud of him!)

Also, a side note my fellow author-slash-parents may relate to: Breaking open geodes from the new science kit we just got was far more important to my son than Mom posting about her book. (He’s not wrong.)

I felt rushed and flustered, and it didn’t really feel like release day at all. With my hair still wet, I ran to the coffee shop, grabbed my iced Cinderella latte and scone, and headed back home to do laundry and meet my husband to make sure he was really okay. (He’s really okay.)

By the time I had a minute to sit and focus on my book release, it was already time to take my son to rehearsal before his performance. There was traffic (and Chick-fil-A, thankfully). When the show finally began that evening, I was tired and glad to just be sitting down. As I watched, I was so impressed with how the group of young theatre kids exemplified what the phrase “The show must go on” truly means.

The show wasn’t perfect. Kids forgot their lines or missed their cues. Sometimes they didn’t project, and I couldn’t hear what they said. Other times, a prop was left backstage or a costume piece abandoned.

And yet, even with all of the unplanned-ness that took place, the show went on. And it was funny and cute and sweet and really just exactly what it was supposed to be.

My release day didn’t go exactly the way I wanted (not even close), but my book still released. And all my amazing readers and author friends still celebrated with me. Glass Across the Sea even earned an orange top release ribbon on Amazon. For a moment there, I’d felt as if I’d missed my book birthday. As if it passed me by and left me behind. I desperately wanted a do-over. But I am reminded of the words Dr. Seuss once wrote about a certain celebration:

“It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags.” — How the Grinch Stole Christmas by Dr. Seuss

My book release came just the same. I didn’t miss it. It came without clean clothes or coffee-shop time or makeup or styled hair. It came regardless of my day going as planned. My expectations were broken, but my book release was not. By God’s grace and provision alone, this book made its way into the world. Glass Across the Sea belongs to the Lord. He is sovereign over everything, including my book release. It was a quiet celebration, but I believe that’s just how God intended it to be.

Photo taken a few days before release at a local library event.

Thank you to everyone who has picked this book up and given it a chance. I am blessed beyond measure to do what I do. And, as long as God allows it, I’m going to keep doing this book-writing thing. It’s not always glamorous, but it is always, in the end, for His Glory, in His timing, and according to His plan and will alone.

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About Glass Across the Sea

Light always finds a way to break free . . .

Noelle Perrault has felt drawn to the tales her glassmaker father told of the four Firefly artisans since she was a child. But when her mother falls under a curse, Noelle suspects the stories are more than mere fables. Their last hope is for her father to embark on a desperate journey to another realm, where he must seek a miracle. Alone but not defenseless, Noelle is forced to navigate battles that rise against her beloved home, while her dearest friend, the prince, vows to help her father.

Dante Marin is a prince prepared to bear the crown. But the king offers an ultimatum: find the fabled Firefly Vestiges, believed to hold the Lamplighter’s ancient power, or forfeit the crown. Only then will Dante be considered worthy of his birthright and given the freedom to choose his bride. But how does one hunt down a legend?

Connected by the past, but forced apart in the present, Noelle and Dante must discover the truth about the Firefly and Vestiges before they lose all hope—and each other—for good. But breaking a curse comes at a great sacrifice—one neither of them predicted. With a mysterious foe rising to power, will they survive, let alone succeed? Or will darkness shroud their future, shattering the light they’ve striven to restore?

Glass Across the Sea is available wherever you buy your books. You can order from Enclave’s online store for 20% less, or grab a signed copy from my local bookstore, Changing Hands.

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