When I started writing my first YA fantasy novel,

I had high expectations. I thought there would be instant interest from a publisher or agent. However, I either didn’t ask the right people, ask correctly, or my book just wasn’t ready.

Because of this I had Initiation Dream on the shelf for a long time.

I would pull it down, dust it off, reread it, and sometimes change some things. I’m lying. It was on my computer with very little dust. But every time I did reread the story, I would get excited. Again, I would search out for publishers and/or agents.

Ah, to no avail.

Was it not good enough? Was being a nobody making my book not worth reading?

I read it again, and again and I got excited.

Self-publishing had always been on my mind, but I did not want to do it on my own. My biggest fan, my wife, was no longer around thanks to divorce. My older kids were too busy starting their own lives. The signs were obvious that BIG changes were all around me (positive and negative).

I began taking notice to any signs pushing me to the positive. Signs letting me know I was moving in the right direction. In deciding to publish my book, I remember seeing lots of numerology-stuff (11:11, 111, 7:11, and other doubled numbers). I even began to see more images of wolves every time I turned.

And then, close to my birthday, I received the card above from my God-Mother.

She had not sent me a birthday greeting in years. Her words were so thoughtful and sweet, but it was the visual that was most important to me. This timely card was designed by the St. Labre Indian School in Ashland, Montana, and I saw it as my biggest sign.

I submitted my manuscript to get the help of POD publisher BookLocker a week later.

I finally began the process of actual publication!