Here I Go Again

Hello, my fellow Vocalites. My name is Sharon Combs, but many of you know me as Mother Combs or MC. Some of you may have even read a story or poem of mine; perhaps several of my writings have been perused by a few. I come before you to confess to each of you that I now have a problem.

It started in June of this year. As many of you may recall, I was encouraged to publish my children's book, Sunshine and Butterfly Kisses: Sean and Old Lady Moore. I followed the advice of several of my Vocal friends, but instead of trying to find a publisher, I decided I would go about publishing the book myself.

I began formatting the book early during the second week of June. Getting the pictures to line up just right with the words was a bitch, but I finally figured everything out. There were many late-night formatting adjustments. Time just slipped right on by.

Finally, on June 18, my first book was published. The excitement was palpable. I immediately had to shout it from the rooftops. I'd given birth to a little brain child, and I had to show her off, and boy, did I.

Then, the excitement of a brand-new book wore off, and I began thinking. There surely was some other writing I had done. Enough to fill a hardback book. That should be compiled into a collection.

My love poems! I knew there were enough of them! So, I began on June 26th, looking through the beginning of my poems. The ones from back in 2021, and I started sorting through all my poems.

With ease, I formatted the poems on the pages. After all, I'd already done this on a smaller scale. What took the longest was changing the pictures for some of my poems to my own AI creations made in Gemini, so that the pictures would have decent quality. (Yes, I would love to have an artist illustrate my books one day, but I am unable to at this time.)

Once I submitted my manuscript and the cover photo to Amazon, I received a notice that it would take up to 72 hours for the book to be approved. When I checked my email the next morning (July 6), the hardcover had been approved. A nice little surprise.

At this time, I finished formatting the paperback. So once submitted, I patiently waited. Like the hardcover, it was published almost immediately (July 7).

I'm in the process of working on the ebook for Kindle. Plan on doing the same to the first book also. I'm just tinkering around with the formatting to make it as appealing as possible before I make them live and online.

My newest book shows as my most popular book on Amazon right now. It's called Verses of the Heart: Love Poems by Mother Combs. I picked the finest printing available to me, so that those who buy the book can be proud to own one.

Now, here lies the problem. I'm already thinking of the next book's title. And the next's. And possibly, maybe the one after that...

I'm ready to begin formatting and setting up another book! I caught myself several times in the last few days looking through my Vocal stories and poems, trying to decide if I should compile any of them under one cover. Or maybe there is a short story that has enough bones in it to make it into a novel. Or maybe I should bite the bullet and finish my fantasy novel.

There are so many options open to me, and I know I will soon give in and create another. I've become addicted to the creation of a book, the formatting, and the publishing. Seeing my name on the cover has me jonesing for more.

I may need help. I don't want help. Somebody needs to stop me. I don't want to quit. I need a straitjacket. I have to write.

My name is Sharon "Mother" Combs. I have an addiction. I'm an Author.