I've written this post a thousand times inside my head. Nothing sounded right. I filmed something. I deleted it. I've spent sleepless hours trying to figure out which words, and in what order, could adequately explain what today means.
I haven't been able to.
See, I wrote a book a long time ago. Three and a half years ago, actually. Many people read it and offered advice. It endured eight months of query hell. Survived revision after revision.
Then, finally, this book found a home. It got a shiny cover, and beautiful words printed in pink on the front. Early copies traveled the world, and sat on bookshelves, and kept people up at night reading.
I cried over this book.
I laughed. I screamed with joy. I ate bacon in celebration.
I worked. Oh, how I worked on it. I tried. Oh, how I tried to get every word in exactly the right spot.
Since October, that work has been done. And I've been waiting for months to share it with you. Many of you have been here every day, following and experiencing every bump in the road, every curve of the track. To you, I want to say thank you.
The words feel inadequate, weak, unable to hold how much I really appreciate the friendships and emails and camaraderie I've felt from you, my lovely blog readers.
But they'll have to do.
Thank you.
And with that, I find that I have nothing left to say about this book. Nothing left to do for this book.
Except one thing: Give it to you.
And so I will. Today, I will.
POSSESSION is yours. I hope you enjoy it.
If you want to participate in the launch of POSSESSION, you can! Ali Cross, Nichole Giles, and Windy Aphayrath made it easy for you. Sign up below and write a post on your blog about a time when you broke the rules.
Three lucky winners will win a signed hard-cover copy of POSSESSION.
132 comments:
*hugs*
And congratulations, my friend. Exciting times, these!
I can't begin to tell you how excited I am for you! So excited to read the book, and I wish you the absolute best :)
Sarah Allen
(my creative writing blog)
Bawling all over my keyboard for your right now. That was the sweetest blog EV.ER.
Best. Gift. Ever. ((hugs)) I hope your release day is everything you dreamed it would be, and more!
Congrats, that's very exciting :)
That is awesome your a fantastic writer! Possessions is a great read :]
CONGRATULATIONS!
I am so happy for you and excited for this book to come to my house! Yay and congratulations.
Congratulations, and I'd say that your post was pretty perfect!
Enjoy you time, you have sooooo earned it!!!
Lxxx
Congratulations on having your book out and surviving the route to publication. Enjoy your moment! Best wishes x
MINE!! *grabs Possession* *eats bacon in celebration*
Seriously though, I'm so, so happy for you right now. I can't wait to read your book, and to see what's next for you. Congratulations, Elana.
Elana! Many, many congratulations. Enjoy the day!
Happy Release Day, Elana!
I got goosebumps reading your post. This is what's it's all about. Following your journey until we can finally celebrate with you!
May you have a permanent smile on your face all day (mingled with just a few joyful tears). So happy for you!
Congrats Elana! I'm so excited for you that this day has finally come. You so deserve it. All us blogging friends are cheering you on and wishing you the best. Enjoy your special day.
It's official! Congratulations! I'm so excited for you. It's been eye-opening and inspiring to watch your journey.
I'm hosting an unofficial contest of my own for the release of your book today. I'd better go put up the post now!
I wish you the best today and as you move forward.
Congratulations, Elana!! I'm so happy for you, seeing this enormous dream become a fantastic reality. Can't wait to get my copy!!!!!!
It's amazing that the day is finally here! Congratulations! Savor every moment, celebrate, do whatever you have to do to enjoy this day. :)
Woohoo! What an amazing day for you Elana! Can't wait to read it!!
Congratulations Elana! Can't wait to read it!
Congratulations! How very exciting this must be for you to see the counter at zero all the anticipation over its finally here. I will be picking up my copy on the way home from work today. Enjoy the day!
BIG TIME, ENORMOUS CONGRATS TO YOU!
I've already got the Kindle version of Possession. It's been on my 'wish list' for months :)
**mounds of confetti thrown**
What a proud Mama! Congrats.
Congratulations. I'm so happy for you and the book is great!!
Oh happy dance for Elana!! I am so excited for you! This is wonderful! I signed up to participate on Ali's blog for the time I broke the rules. What a fun post!
Congrats! I'm half way through and absolutely loving it!
Congratulations, girlie! You deserve it!
Weeee!!!! Happy Book Birthday!!!
You are made of awesome and so is this book! I was so excited to be able to purchase it for the first time. I've watched you while you made your way through this journey and every step has been a learning experience for all of us who are watching and waiting for your success. You did it! I'm so happy to be standing here wishing you a proper HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!
Congratulations, Elana! I look forward to reading Possession.
Congratulations! I hope it's a great success. I can't wait to read it.
Congratulations, Elana!
WOOHOOOOOO!! Happy launch day!!! ☆∴*★∵∶。◦°✰*¨*•.¸¸✩ ⋰˚☆
Enjoy the ride, the moment. YOUR moment. :)
Love,
Lola
Congrats! Elana. I am so happy for you!
You already know what my heart says. So proud.
SQUEE!!!
Happy Release Day, Elana! Enjoy the moment. Today is your day.
:HUGS: I haven't been here for too long, but you've made me feel like I've been here from the start. Thank you for sharing your journey with the world.
And Congratulations! You've certainly earned all the successes that are sure to come your way. =oD
Congratulations Elana! I've been following you since I started my blog and your writing journey is such an inspiration! I'm so glad POSSESSION is out today and I can't wait for my copy to get here!
CONGRATS Elana! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. It has been a joy following you and your success. Now to get to the really important part.
SQUEEEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!! (((HUGS)))) and off to the bookstore :)
I'm so excited for you and proud of you and just jumping up for joy happy for you!! :) Congratulations on sending your baby out into the world :)
What beautiful words! Sit back,relax, and enjoy your book birthday. You deserved it! I was so excited I preordered it on my kindle last night. Off to read!
We can do our rule breaking post tomorrow, right? I hope so, because I just signed up.
As far as Possession goes, there isn't a whole lot left to say. Congratulations, EJ, you've earned it!
HUGE congrats on the release!
Congrats are well deserved. It is an amazing book and I am so thrilled to have gotten to watch its conception. Super job!!!!
Woohoo!!! Congratulations, Elana! Happy Book Birthday! I'm so happy for you - and for the rest of us who finally get to read your baby. Thank you for sharing her with us. Have fun celebrating!
Congrats! So happy and excited for you!!! I've been telling all the girls I mentor to go buy it!! Have a great day!
Happy Book Birthday Elana. Congratulations.
Congratulations!! I'm eating bacon in celebration too! :)
So, so happy for you Elana! You're one of the "good guys" and you deserve mucho mucho success! Can't wait to read Possession (I'm going to buy it on lunch. Yeah, I'm sacrificing FOOD for you!)
YAY!!!!! So exciting. Enjoy the journey!
CONGRATULATIONS, ELANA!!!!!
*throws confetti*
YAY!!!! Woooooo hoooooo! I'm so excited for you, Elana! And definitely excited for ME because I get to read it!
*throws more confetti*
Congrats!!
It's finally here!!!
And I have my copy!
So So So thrilled for you Elana!!!
Congratulations!!!
HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO YOU, HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY DEAR ELANAAAAAAAAAA, HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY TO YOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU!
YEAH! Congratulations and I'm so excited for you! I hope everyone loves it as much as I did!
Congratulations!
So well deserved.
May all your bacon dreams come true :)
Woohoo! Woohoo! Congrats Elana! XD So happy for you!
So happy for you!! Can't wait to read it.
Congratulations, Elana! You totally deserve all the bacon in the world today! I hope you have an awesome day and I'm so excited to read your amazing book. :)
Happy Release Day!
Congrats! What an awesome moment. Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing your journey with us :)
If you celebrated with bacon, does that mean you have some left over sour patch kids? ;)
Happy Release Day!!!
So exciting! Congrats!
Congratulations! Just downloaded Possession and can't wait to dig in.
Congratulations Elana! Thank you for sharing your journey with us. And for giving us this book!
Never thought I'd read dystopian, but I have to, if for no other reason than to learn from you. I hope I get to listen to you at a workshop sometime because I want to be just like you when I grow up. For now, it's practice, practice, practice.
Man, now I'm hungry for bacon and anarchy. ;)
Congrats, Elana! Enjoy your release day!
Congratulations! I can't wait to read POSSESSION.
HAPPY BOOK BIRTHDAY, ELANA!!! I hope you're celebrating and enjoying the fact that you gave birth to something so special :) <3
Such a beautiful, from the heart post. Oh Elana, I wish you, Possession, and all your future books success! Hooray for you!
Gratitude is EVERYTHING! Good things will KEEP happening to you!
Really inspiring words you wrote.
And the MTV review? OUTRAGEOUS!
Congratulations, Elana! I wish you great success. Enjoy your day. :)
Happy book birthday to you! Happy book birthday to you! Happy book birthday to POSSESSION! Happy book birthday to you! :-)
Oh, Elana, I am so absolutely excited for you!!! squeeeeeeee!!!
So excited for you. I know it's going to do awesome. Enjoy your bacon today.
Tears, girl! SO DESERVED! I can't wait to hold my copy in my hands.
*hugs*
OMG Elana!!! You are awesome, and I am sooooo happy for you! I can't wait to read the book. I'm not entering the contest, I plan on buying my own copy. And I want you to know what an absolute inspiration you've been since I started my own journey. You were one of the first to show me that published writers are friendly, genuine, and just as crazy as I am. :D I know the book will be wonderful, because you are. Congratulations!
Congratulations!!
Congratulations Elena! All the hard work's been worth it!!
Kindle won't sell me an e- book in Canada. Why I ask? It's an E-BOOK, it can go anywhere, no extra shipping costs involved! They must be mad that Vancouver is leading in the Stanley Cup Finals...
I'm sure I'll be able to eventually. Have a great day !:)
I haven't been following you that long. But after I read the first chapter a few weeks ago...let's just say I was hooked. I entered every ARC contest I could--but didn't win.
I NEVER win.
Anyway. Possession will be promptly sent to my kindle today. I will be staying up late tonight to read.
Thank you.
Happy book birthday! Enjoy this wonderful moment, you've earned it. You are an inspiration!
Congratulations!! You've worked so hard for this, you deserve all of the love Possession's getting. Happy book release!!
Congratulations! I'm so very happy for you! You are an amazing person. I hope sales go off the charts!
You are extraordinary and it's been wonderful to watch your remarkable journey. You may never know how many lives you've touched- but you have touched mine. Congratulations on making it through this much of the journey. There's a whole future still ahead excited to have you in it.
Congrats!!! It feels like today has been so long in coming. I hope it is absolutely fantastic for you!
Happy book birthday! I'm so excited to read it!
Your journey to this day has been so inspiring and fun to read about. And this post is beautiful. :)
You make me want to be a better writer and a better person, so "Thank you!"
HUGE Congrats!! Happy Release Day!!
Congrats congrats congrats!!! :) What you've done - and what we're all trying to do - takes enormous courage. Well done!!
Yay! Congrats!! Your baby is lovely :)
CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!! I'm so excited for you. Picture Kermit the Frog's happy dance, because that's what I'm doing for you. So excited to see you tomorrow night!
Congrats, Elana!! I'm so excited for you and you deserve all your success. I loved the book and would have done a giveaway but my blog Sisters have confiscated it! Can't wait for the companion book. :)
What an exciting landmark of a day! I can only imagine how thrilling it must feel to be you today. I'm ordering my copy right now. Can't wait to read it!
YAY ELANA! I am so happy, proud, excited, thrilled, anxious, nervous, on edge, ecstatic, full of glee, and just over the top thankful that your book has finally debuted!
I know so many other bloggers have been along the ride with you, many months more than me I'm sure, but no one is more sincere than I am in my best wishes for your success.
ALL THE BEST ELANA,
You blogger buddy, Michael
LOVE this post! You got every word exactly right. So, so excited for you Elana. Soak up the goodness of today!
Eeeeeeeeeeeeeee! I have tried to imagine how you're feeling... I can't. I just hope I get to feel the same way one day!
Major congratulations!
xx R
*Cry, cry, cry*
Have a BEAUTIFUL day, Elana. Enjoy every moment.
HUGE CONGRATULATIONS!!!!
So happy for you! Be sure to get a picture of yourself in the bookstore with YOUR book on the shelves!
Congratulations!
Congratulations Elana! Words seem inadequate to capture how much I know this day means to you:)
Thanks for sharing such a gift!
Big huge congrats, Elana. Wow, good omen, I'm #100! I can't participate in the contest because my 2nd novel comes out in a few weeks and I'm going crazy trying to get everything done in time. I hope you have tons and tons of fun!
Congratulations Elana! I hope the world loves Possession as much as I did.
Enjoy the moment.
HUGE CONGRATS!!! Can't wait to read it!
Oh happy day! What a rush it must be. I can't wait to read POSESSION!!! FINALLY!!!
I totally spelled POSSESSION wrong!!!
This was beautiful! Congratulations on your big day!! I hope it is just as amazing and wonderful as you could have ever imagined!!!
Oh, E. You said it right and you did it right. I can't wait to party it up with you in style. I'm so happy for you for this day.(And I'm so happy for me because I GET TO READ IT!!! Yay!)
So exciting! A huge CONGRATULATIONS to you, Elana!
Congratulations Elana! So happy for you. Looking forward to reading it. :)
Yee-haw! So happy for you, Elana. I hope it's been a fantastic day. Love you!
I am so proud of you and happy for you!
AHHH! Absolutely scary and wonderful and terrifying.
Congrats, and enjoy the ride (personally, I'm getting cold feet, but it's a little late to pull the book). ;)
Congrats! I'm so happy for you!
I was going to preorder but I can't wait for shipping and I did a search and every store near me has your book in stock! whewwhooooo, gonna pick it up asap.
Congratulations, Elana!! So happy for you! So glad to see Possession released into the wild. Hope you have a beautiful day! Happy, happy launch!
So very, very happy for you. I could use lots of fluffy nice words, but really it all comes down to you ROCK, Elana!@
Angela @ The Bookshelf Muse
I'm not supposed to be in the blogosphere, but I had to stop by to say CONGRATULATIONS, ELANA! Received my copy yesterday and it is truly a thing of beauty. I'm beaming for you!
Happy Launch!
So happy for you, Elana!
Such an exciting day, Elana! I'll be heading out this week to get my copy - can't wait to read. Congrats, congrats, congrats!!!!
Congratulations Elana!!! I am so incredibly, very happy for you! :)
I pre-ordered this book, and it arrived today.. in fact it's sitting on my desk right now as I type this, it's SO gorgeous, and I can't wait to read it!!! :)
I am so so so incredibly happy for you Elana!! WOOHOO --- it's out there! Happy book birthday to POSSESSION, and to you! HUGE congratulations. I can't wait to see you tomorrow night!
Yay!! It's finally here! Congrats again Elana - I'm thrilled for you. The world is going to love Possession. Can't wait for the companion!!
Sorry I'm late to the party - we've had no power in our city for almost 8 hours. It's been a loooong day!
Congrats! Cannot wait to get my hands on a copy!!!
Yay!!! Thank goodness it's finally here! I can't wait to go buy my copy--I've left tomorrow night free so I can devour it in one sitting. I'm so happy for you!
I'm sure you've heard it all day so it goes without saying...but congrats! Your hard work has paid off:)
I'm sure you've heard it all day so it goes without saying...but congrats! Your hard work has paid off:)
Soak it in, baby!!!!!! CONGRATS!!!
Congratulations! I love great success stories. Fuel for inspiration. Cheers!
I am here, finally, at 2:00 in the morning of the next day. I love you Elana. And I love your book. Your post brought tears to my eyes. I wish I could just hug you and hug you and cry with you and shout for joy with you. Heck, maybe we should do a little of that at your party tonight! Woot!
My apologies for being a day late with commenting but CONGRATS!!!! I can't want to read it. :)
congratulations on your book publication day!
Congrats… you deserve it.
It has been a wonderful ride, and I thank you for sharing it. And thx for sharing all your wonderful knowledge and experience.
Your advice has helped me in so many ways. I look forward to reading your book and wish you nothing but success.
ELANA! I've been out of the loop this week, because my computer picked now to die. But I came to the library to tell you:
CONGRATULATIONS! You did it! And it's beautiful!
Also, if yo are ever in the GTA (That's Toronto. In Canada. By Niagara falls!), my local bookstore wants you to come. I told them about you and your book back in March, and they're excited about your book, and if you're ever here, they want you to come. And we have bacon at my house. Just throwing that out there.
And CONGRATULATIONS!
ALSO: I will be at your virtual launch party. I should have a new computer by then. (Any advice there?) WOO-HOO!
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