Moving Forward!

Four years ago, right around the beginning of 2009, I said to myself: I'm going to write a book.

But, hang on. Let me back up a minute.

See, five years ago, I ran a marathon. And you know what running a marathon is the best preparation for, ever?

Everything else you do in life. I don't run anymore, but the mental toughness and strength that I got from marathon training has stayed with me so much longer than the physical strength ever could. Because here's how you run a marathon:

You get to the point where every single muscle and bone in your body is telling you to stop running.

And you keep running.

It's the best thing I ever learned how to do. To take myself to the point where all I wanted to do was quit, and to keep going. To ignore all the excuses and the doubts and the pain and to just push through, and get to the finish line. I didn't run fast, but I finished. And for me, that was all that mattered.

Running a marathon was training for starting a business, for starting a blog, and for all the challenges and obstacles that I've faced since. But the thing that it was the best for, without a doubt? Writing a book.

Because four years after having that thought, I've written three books. Casey and Blake started out as little wisps of inspiration in my head, but in these four years with them, they've become so much more. They've kept me up at night wondering about how to tell their story, they've frustrated me to no end, they've made me laugh and cry, and they've made my life so much richer in so many ways.

So it was a big moment for me yesterday when Moving Forward, the third book in my Moving Neutral series, went on sale! I've been pouring blood, sweat and tears into this manuscript for over a year, and it's an incredible feeling to finally release it into the world.

And what a release it was -- in its first 12 hours, Moving Forward hit three Amazon Top New Release lists and two Bestseller lists. I am overwhelmed and so incredibly grateful, and hope that everyone who's been waiting for this book will love it as much as I do. It took me a while to get it right, but I am so, so thrilled with how it turned out.

And kind of like running a marathon, I'm exhausted and proud and can't wait to write another. Let's hope I can get Book Four done before the baby is born!

Moving Forward is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Kobo. If you want to start at the beginning, Moving Neutral is available on Amazon here.