I’m thrilled to share this journey with you as I step into the exciting, slightly chaotic world of self-publishing my debut cozy romance, Keeper of Lost Loves. Things are certainly getting real!

My website is looking sharp, Amazon account set up, ebook formatted, and the cover design was… well, it *was* perfect.

As the fellow authors among you might relate, the road to self-publishing is twisty and turny.

Just when I thought everything was ticked and tied, I ran into a bit of a snag.

Right before adding my book to Amazon, I discovered someone has claimed my subtitle title for her upcoming book series! Can you believe it? 😠

And to add insult to injury, her book actually looks pretty promising. A quaint bookshop, a sprinkle of magic, and a dash of inherited mysteries? SOLD.

Ugh. I mean, tell me you don’t want to pre-order that?

(Really, it’s okay. Go ahead and pre-order it. I won’t get jealous. We’re all in this together, after all. Heck, I even made the link an affiliate link so maybe I’ll get 4 cents towards my next Amazon gift card.)

Technically, mine is not a series name like hers… but I do hope this becomes a series. Clara and Ethan’s story is a standalone novel. That said, there is a lot of possibility surrounding the idea of a standalone series of cozy romances all set in the same charming town, with an overlap of side characters.

And even if mine becomes a series, our names are not exactly the same: L.L. Gray is doing Havenwood Paranormal Cozy Mysteries, and mine is Havenwood Cozy Romance.

However, there were already series (serieses? What’s the plural of series) entitled Havenwood, Havenwood Falls, Magic of Havenwood, and Havenwood University. 

That seems like a lot.

So, it was back to the drawing board for me, which meant brainstorming a new series title. 

I took a poll, and the winner for renaming my new series is:

I like it. Maybe even better than Havenwood. It rings true for my potential series… though now, I feel strongly that my little cozy town needs a waterfall.

Aside from the title turmoil, I’m buzzing with excitement to get this book into your hands. It’s a labor of love, and despite the bumps, each step brings us closer to sharing a world of lost loves and found hearts.