Happiness is Freedom

Well, folks, it’s Happy Release Day (July 2), and I am writing a special blog post outside of the Friday norm. 

There are a lot of metaphors to describe the launch of me as an Indie author, and trust me, I realize the time is perfect with July 4th being a few days away. A friend actually told me July 2 is the day the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence (they only announced it to the public on July 4). I like to think the founders wanted to savor the news for a few days. It’s like people who find out they are pregnant and have that wonderful secret all to themselves for a while. 

NORA ROBERTS LAND has had its journey up to this point like all books do, and it still has more road to travel now that it’s being sent out into the world. But how does all this relate to freedom and happiness? 

It’s the gratitude I have for all Indie authors who have helped us come to this place where I can publish my work and allow readers to have the freedom to read it should they choose. Happiness is knowing you have the freedom to speak with your voice, to be heard, and knowing that matters. One of my favorite moments in The King’s Speech is when The King bursts out, “I have a voice.” Yes, we all do. And it’s meant to be heard, shared.

Happiness is the freedom to do what we know we need to do, what we are called to do, what we must do. I am an author–to my soul. Stories make my heart sing. It is my calling. Having the freedom to share them makes me happy. 

I write about characters resurrecting that freedom in their own lives. Being empowered. Meredith Hale chooses to throw off the shackles of her divorce and the belief she’d taken on from her ex-husband that Nora Roberts’ novels put ideas in her head. My hero, Tanner McBride, throws off the job of a burned-out war correspondent and decides to find out if there’s anything safe, sacred, or beautiful in life anymore. And personally they find what they need, and together they find even more–a love only reserved for that happily ever after called NORA ROBERTS LAND.

So, as we all celebrate July 4, I am grateful for all the freedom I have. The freedom to be me and speak with my voice and know it is my greatest contribution to the world. The freedom to publish this story and allow readers to find it and enjoy it. The freedom to know that my life, my present, and my future are all in my own hands. After all, when we speak with our voice, we inspire others to do the same. 

“I am the master of my fate. I am the captain of my soul.” William Ernest Henley, Invictus.

I claim the same for you and your journey. 

Image courtesy of Vlado at FreeDigitalPhotos.net