Self-Publishing First Novel

Dear friends and family, this means everyone who sees this post. This long post is probably not necessary, but I am writing it anyway. And it’s not easy for me to ask for anything, let alone asking for help.

Hello, my name is Lynn, and this is a bit awkward for me but here goes. Here is a little bit of information on who I am and what I am asking from you. I’m an active volunteer in my community with the Hamilton Conservatory for the Arts, Theatre Aquarius and the Hamilton Music Festival.

I usher and site guard equipment when needed at Dances at the Bay formally known as Dusk Dances. I have been an active volunteer with the HCA Dance Theatre since 2015. I have always volunteered my time with them including volunteering with PASS aka the Performing Arts Sunday Series, Winter Dance Recitals, the Music Gala’s and the rare occasions with the June and Winter Music Recitals and the rare Supercrawl Arts For All stuff. I’m pretty sure there are more things I have done with the HCA that I haven’t mentioned here.

But anyway, I am also a registrar with the Hamilton Music Festival since 2023. Signing participants into the festival program when they arrive, selling programs and so on. I also usher with Theatre Aquarius since 2023 handing out programs, helping people to their seats if they need my help and checking tickets at the door, etc.

I was also in a choir since 2014 called Hamilton Sings! Community Choir. But I retired from the choir probably about the same time I started volunteering with Theatre Aquarius. The choir started me on my wonderful journey towards being a vocal student with Sue and then onwards to Mr. Fix at the HCA. I couldn’t always sing though, at least not when I was younger. But I have always loved music. I also love photography, art, theatre and animals.

I am also a writer, I wrote for the youth section in the Sherman Hub Community Newspaper until they retired their paper, which is too bad because I really loved writing for them. I also love blogging too. I also wrote a novel during this time, and it is called Four Years Gone By, truthfully, it should have been called Five Years Gone by, but it doesn’t seem to have the same ring to it. I started writing this novel in March of 2013 after my English teacher Mr. Leslie had told me I was a star writer. At the time I didn’t believe him, but as my writing grew stronger I started to believe him. Thanks to him and his encouragement for me to be a writer, I now have two completed manuscripts, and I am looking forward to publishing them or at least self-publishing them for now.

The manuscript is about memories both good and bad that I can remember from my high school years and what led me to make the biggest mistake I could ever make as a student. Sometimes it takes making a mistake to realize that sometimes it’s about looking past the mistake and making things right again. And just because one door closes doesn’t mean another one won’t open. Let’s just say, the mistake I made that got me suspended from school had its ups and downs. Now that I look back on it, it was a blessing, and I don’t think I would be a part of the artistic community without having made that mistake. As bad as that just sounded being unwanted by one community only to be wanted by another spoke volumes for me. I didn’t find my true community until after I left high school. I knew at that time life was hard for me and I wanted to commit suicide, but I had things and people to live for. And being a voice for others was something I needed to do and wanted to do. And being dead wouldn’t have done that for me. In many ways the artistic community I am a part of now has saved me mentally and I don’t know where I would be without the HCA, my family and friends or anyone else who has stood by me since 2013. You all know who you are, I just want to say thank you for not giving up on me, even though I was a pain in the butt.

So here is a bit of information for my novels synopsis – At the age of fourteen in 2009, Victoria Watson started high school at Panther’s United Secondary School. With all the friends she meets, Della Beatrice steps into her life and the two become inseparable. But it wasn’t an easy journey for either of them. Bullies, fears and tears seemed to plague Victoria. But with each possible fall, her friends were there to catch and help stand her up again. Through the good and the bad, their friendship proved strong.

Then one day her life changed… After a horrifying mistake that suspended her from school, Victoria realized that she needed to right her wrongs in order to move forward with her life and going towards a new direction she never thought was ever possible.

Her dedication to Panther’s United would eventually pay off. Even though the reluctance from the teacher and the principal made her mission difficult for her to make amends.

Victoria wanted to tell her story, she needed to be heard. Her memories take you from the depths of high school life to success! This is her story!

The idea with this novel is to tell my story, but I also hope to help other students past and present to not make the same mistake I did, to be better and to do their best. And to speak up when needed, to make them realize that bullying is not okay. And that one day things will work out and be better. To believe in themselves and to realize and fulfill their full potential. And there is hope and I want to see everyone succeed in anything they choose to do with their lives. If they can’t speak up, I will be their voice. I want to help people become better people and see them do the best they can.

If you or anyone you know is interested in purchasing my novel, please message me and we can go from there. Thanks for reading my post and supporting me. There’s so much more I could say but I’ll leave it at this. Thank you for reading this post. Also, is $25.00 too much for each copy of my book?

Much love, stay safe out there.

Lynn.