Oh, give thanks to the Lord!

Call upon His name;

Make known His deeds among the peoples!

Sing to Him, sing psalms to Him;

Talk of all His wondrous works!

Glory in His holy name;

Let the hearts of those rejoice who seek the Lord!

Seek the Lord and His strength;

Seek His face evermore!

—Psalm 118:29

Daylight savings always wrecks my sleep schedule (seriously—who do we have to talk to make time changes go away???), so I slept in a bit Tuesday morning. When I finally opened my eyes, I did my usual routine of grabbing my phone to read the daily devotional my husband emails out. Since I didn’t have any meetings that morning, I allowed myself to drift back to sleep.

As I awoke once again about an hour later, it struck me:

My book officially launches today.

I’ve often wondered what it feels like to publish your first book. I’m sure the experience is different for every author.

In many ways, my pub date was an ordinary day. I took my supplements, emptied the dishwasher, made a butter latte, threw a load of laundry in the washing machine. My family and I went for a celebratory brunch, and then my daughter and I ran errands. We got home, and I replied to emails and worked on client projects.

But something extraordinary started happening.

Around lunchtime, the first pic, of my book nestled in an opened box, arrived in my text messages. It was sent by a former editorial and coaching client, who has become a dear friend. The accompanying note said, “Happy Book Launch Day!”

Later in the afternoon, another text came, and I grinned when I saw another friend holding her copy. “It’s HERE!” her message proclaimed.

So it continued throughout the evening, and each text message made me more and more verklempt. The outpouring of excitement and support was amazing, and I felt incredibly loved. Below, I’ve shared some of the wonderful photos I received.

When I showed my children all of the pics, my daughter exclaimed, “Mommy’s famous!”

I laughed and said, “No, Mommy’s not famous—but maybe through Mommy’s book, God will become even more famous!”

My gratitude for everyone who has and will one day purchase my book is boundless. And my deepest prayer is that it will bless my sisters in Christ, drawing them closer to God and His Word.

May it be so, Lord!

With love in Christ,

Amanda

xoxo

Scripture taken from the New King James Version^®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.