The release day for A Storied Life is finally here!

I'm an official novelist and I'm so giddy about having written a novel that people can actually buy and read.

The idea first came to mind nine or ten years ago and it took until early 2010 before I started writing the first words. Fun fact: those first few thousand words eventually got moved to chapter 3.

I still remember my amazement when my characters started talking back to me and how plot points descended out of thin air. And then how the last 20,000 words poured out of me in 5 days in December 2011.

I could not stop writing and when I wrote the last sentence, I slumped back onto my couch and cried in relief and awe over what I accomplished.

Now we're here and A Storied Life is a real book I've held in my hands. It's on Goodreads and all the major online retailers. I never want to lose this sense of wonder.

I keep saying thank you but truly, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Whether you remember when I finished writing A Storied Life all the way back in December 2011 or you're newer here, thank you for being a part of my internet community and cheering me on. It means more than you know.

If you read A Storied Life, please consider writing a review. It's really helpful in raising awareness, especially for debut authors. And please feel free to tell your family and friends! Word of mouth recommendations carry so much weight. 

We'll see where this book of mine goes. 

Friday night I arrived in my hometown because there's no other place I'd rather be. My mom gave me a bouquet in a vase that belonged to my Grandma and said she and my dad are proud of me. Sunday marked eleven years since Grandma died and while I don't know for sure what she'd think about me writing a novel exploring loss, I hope she'd be proud. 

Today I'm wearing my special Release Day dress from eShakti. My best friend and her kids are taking me out for lunch and then I'm celebrating with friends at dinner tonight. I'll toast to my accomplishment with an Old Fashioned or the butteriest chardonnay I can find and I'll bask in the glow.

Tomorrow I'll start delving into research for my second novel. (Newsletter subscribers will be the first to hear what it might be about!) 

This is the start of a beautiful writing career. I can feel it. 

“Live your own story. Make every moment count.”

Olivia Frasier grew up under the guidance of her grandmother's mantra: “Live a storied life.” The oft-repeated words gave her the courage to pursue art instead of working at the family bank until a mistake made in college altered the course of her life. Now, no one knows Olivia still paints. Not her friends. Not her staff at the art gallery. Certainly not her family.

She can ignore the twinge of unease, the regret that surfaces when Gram's mantra comes to mind, the question of whether this is all life has to offer.

When Gram announces she has terminal cancer—and names Olivia as her Power of Attorney for Healthcare—Olivia is thrust in to the world of hospice and dying wishes. Olivia may be the family’s black sheep but she is determined to see Gram through this, no matter the cost.

Faced with losing the one person on her side, Olivia clings to the knowledge that Gram's death will finally allow her to walk away from the family. And yet Gram is determined to impart one last lesson: let go of the past so she can live the life she’s meant to lead.

When Reagan walks into her art gallery, the timing couldn’t be worse. He’s everything Olivia ever dreamed of wanting but she has learned to settle for less when it comes to her relationships and career. At what point does owning your story outweigh the potential hurt?

Weaving together grief and beauty, humor and romance, A Storied Life will make you rethink life, love, and loss.

Please note: this book explores the death of a loved one by cancer and contains mentions of past sexual harassment and suicidal ideation that could potentially trigger certain audiences.

Order the book here:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Paperback 

Disclosure: Affiliate links included in this post.

I'm pleased to announce I'm back on Sorta Awesome for the fourth time! Meg has declared me to be a Sorta Awesome regular and I have already added it to my resume.

But instead of talking about the Enneagram per usual, Meg asked me to come on and talk about my journey into self-publishing my first novel and then we shared our summer reading recommendations.

Talking about books I love and about the novel I wrote? TWIST MY ARM.

The result is episode 147: Sizzling Awesome Reads for Summer 2018.

I shared seven books on the episode and I'm pretty confident you'll love them too. The hardest part was narrowing down which ones to recommend so here are two bonus recommendations I didn't get to.

If you haven't recovered from the royal wedding, try this royal romance: A Princess In Theory by Alyssa Cole. Ledi is an epidemiology grad student doing her best to make ends meet when she starts receiving these spam emails claiming she's betrothed to the prince of Thesolo, an African nation. Only it's true. I got why she was so guarded/closed off and loved watching her slowly open up and let others in. Prince Thabiso was a spoiled brat but I loved watching him wake up to what a tool he could be. His heart was mostly in the right place so I could hang with him through the rest. And I absolutely loved the way he took care of Ledi. Cue all the swooning! This had humor and heart and I loved every second of it. Alyssa Cole is just a ridiculously talented author.

On the YA front, I can't stop talking about When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon. Dimple is thrilled when her parents let her go to a summer program for aspiring web developers in San Francisco. What she doesn’t know is that they agreed to it because Rishi is also going and all the parents think Dimple and Rishi would be a great match. Rishi is on board but Dimple has no clue when he walks up to her outside Starbucks. Cue thrown drink!  I could not get enough of the evolution of their relationship. This was a heart-warming, happy read...although it made me cry too because of how strongly I empathized with the characters. It was also refreshing to read a book that got the San Francisco setting right!

As always, you can see all the books I've read at Goodreads. My fiction, nonfiction, romance, and YA recommendations, comprised of books with 4 or 5 star ratings, are on Pinterest.

You can listen to the episode on iTunes, your favorite podcast app, or here.

******

If you're stopping by from Sorta Awesome, hello! I'm happy to have you here. You can learn more about me on my About page. You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. 

My novel A Storied Life releases June 12. The synopsis and preorder links are here. You can read about the inspiration behind the novel here.

Happy reading!

If you sign up for my author newsletter by this weekend, I'll send you a pdf with the prologue and first chapter of A Storied Life! I really hope you'll enjoy getting a sneak peek at my first novel.

Release day is just around the corner! Three weeks from today, in fact. I can't believe it!

The newsletter will be the most dependable source for book news. As I start working on my next book, I hope to share behind-the-scenes news and special excerpts. And I imagine I'll also share the books I'm currently reading and loving. It will be great bookish fun!

To get your sneak peek at A Storied Life, sign up here. The newsletter will go out early next week.

A Storied Life by Leigh Kramer

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Synopsis

“Live your own story. Make every moment count.”

Olivia Frasier grew up under the guidance of her grandmother's mantra: “Live a storied life.” The oft-repeated words gave her the courage to pursue art instead of working at the family bank until a mistake made in college altered the course of her life. Now, no one knows Olivia still paints. Not her friends. Not her staff at the art gallery. Certainly not her family.

She can ignore the twinge of unease, the regret that surfaces when Gram's mantra comes to mind, the question of whether this is all life has to offer.

When Gram announces she has terminal cancer—and names Olivia as her Power of Attorney for Healthcare—Olivia is thrust in to the world of hospice and dying wishes. Olivia may be the family’s black sheep but she is determined to see Gram through this, no matter the cost.

Faced with losing the one person on her side, Olivia clings to the knowledge that Gram's death will finally allow her to walk away from the family. And yet Gram is determined to impart one last lesson: let go of the past so she can live the life she’s meant to lead.

When Reagan walks into her art gallery, the timing couldn’t be worse. He’s everything Olivia ever dreamed of wanting but she has learned to settle for less when it comes to her relationships and career. At what point does owning your story outweigh the potential hurt?

Weaving together grief and beauty, humor and romance, A Storied Life will make you rethink life, love, and loss.

Please note: this book explores the death of a loved one by cancer and contains mentions of past sexual harassment and suicidal ideation that could potentially trigger certain audiences.

Pre-order the book here:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

Paperback

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. 

My grandma died in June 2007 and it seems strangely appropriate for my first novel to release within days of the eleventh anniversary of her death. 

A Storied Life is not about my grandma but it is about Olivia and her grandmother. The idea for this story came from a few different places but without a doubt it is informed by own experience of loss, as well as my former career as a hospice social worker.

About a year after Grandma died, I started to think about the ways fiction grapples with grief and loss. I noticed how hospice was or, more often, wasn't portrayed in novels. I thought about how many people are unprepared when it comes to end of life issues.

I wanted to write a novel that explored this. How do we respond when we're faced with losing a loved one? What impact does this have on our lives? How can people come alongside us and what does it look like to receive their support?

Of course, when we're in the middle of turmoil, life keeps happening so naturally I wanted to give Olivia a love story, too. My friend Heatherly said she couldn't decide if A Storied Life was a tear-jerker that will make you laugh or a love story that will make you cry and honestly, I hope it's both because that's the truest reflection of life. It's both/and. 

Olivia has a lot to figure out about her life and I hope you enjoy reading her story.

This book had a winding road to publication. The first draft I finished in December 2011 is better for the years it lay fallow. It is so wild to finally be here. Imagine me flipping out every time I've seen my book listed on all the retailers and you have a good idea of what life has looked like for the past week. If there's anything you want to know about my self-publishing journey, let me know!

Now let's get to what you're really here for.

I'm so excited to share the synopsis and cover with you today! Sarah Hansen of Okay Creations blew me away with the cover design. I'm absolutely in love with it! I'm ready for this story to go out into the world on June 12.

Add A Storied Life to Goodreads! Pre-order links are below.

You can also sign up for my brand-new author newsletter! This will be the most dependable source for book news. As I start working on my next book, I hope to share behind-the-scenes news and special excerpts. And I imagine I'll also share the books I'm currently reading. It should be fun!

Thank you so much for cheering me on! It really means the world.

A Storied Life by Leigh Kramer

Release Date: June 12, 2018

Synopsis

“Live your own story. Make every moment count.”

Olivia Frasier grew up under the guidance of her grandmother's mantra: “Live a storied life.” The oft-repeated words gave her the courage to pursue art instead of working at the family bank until a mistake made in college altered the course of her life. Now, no one knows Olivia still paints. Not her friends. Not her staff at the art gallery. Certainly not her family.

She can ignore the twinge of unease, the regret that surfaces when Gram's mantra comes to mind, the question of whether this is all life has to offer.

When Gram announces she has terminal cancer—and names Olivia as her Power of Attorney for Healthcare—Olivia is thrust in to the world of hospice and dying wishes. Olivia may be the family’s black sheep but she is determined to see Gram through this, no matter the cost.

Faced with losing the one person on her side, Olivia clings to the knowledge that Gram's death will finally allow her to walk away from the family. And yet Gram is determined to impart one last lesson: let go of the past so she can live the life she’s meant to lead.

When Reagan walks into her art gallery, the timing couldn’t be worse. He’s everything Olivia ever dreamed of wanting but she has learned to settle for less when it comes to her relationships and career. At what point does owning your story outweigh the potential hurt?

Weaving together grief and beauty, humor and romance, A Storied Life will make you rethink life, love, and loss.

Please note: this book explores the death of a loved one by cancer and contains mentions of past sexual harassment and suicidal ideation that could potentially trigger certain audiences.

Pre-order the book here:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

iBooks

Kobo

*there will be a paperback copy but it's not currently available for pre-order.*

Disclosure: this post contains affiliate links. 

Mid-December 2011 I typed the last sentence of my first novel A Storied Life and then I burst into happy tears. I'd always hoped I had a novel in me but I had no idea if I could really do it. 

I finished my novel and what's more, I was really proud of what I wrote. I liked my story and I thought there was a chance other readers would like it too.

I edited it and still felt really good about it. I was debating whether to self-publish or pursue a traditional deal so I sent one query just to see. I never heard back. Then it looked like I might write a nonfiction book about singleness and I looked into an agency that could represent me for both fiction and nonfiction so I put querying on hold while I worked on a proposal. Ultimately, I decided not to write the memoir and everything was on hold again.

Then I moved a couple more times and life kept interfering. But A Storied Life was always ever in the back of my mind.

My novel has been patiently biding its time for me to decide a course for a little over six years now. But in the meantime, I've continued to grow as a writer and gain more experience so I can't regret the years that have gone by.

If you've read my What I'm Into posts or seen my updates on social media, then you already know this news: I'm self-publishing my novel.

It's gone through a few revisions and it's a better novel as a result. It's interesting to think about the ways it's changed and grown since I first wrote it.

I got my final proofread back from my editor a few weeks ago and I hired a cover designer. IT'S REALLY HAPPENING!

I finished my final proofread the other night and that means it's time to figure out formatting and converting it into the necessary files. 

I need to write the synopsis (hardest thing ever) but for now I can tell you it's contemporary fiction that explores end of life issues...with a love story thrown in. By the end of this month, I should be able to determine a release date. Once that's all in place and I get my cover design, you'll be the first to know. It still feels unreal but my long To Do list proves this is very much real.

(And yes, I will be putting together a launch team so stay tuned for those details.)

In 1994 at our Spring Banquet, my 8th grade classmates predicted I would be an author. I'm happy to say that prediction is finally coming true.

Thank you to each and everyone of you have asked about when you might read my novel someday. Someday is almost here.

And thank you to my friends and family who have encouraged and supported me throughout this process, in particular my best friend Tracy Eckert. When I first had the seed of an idea, she was the first person I told and when I asked her if she thought I could actually write a novel, she didn't hesitate to tell me she believed in me. What a gift.

This is one wild ride and I'm thrilled you are all on it with me!