Julienne Smith | Author

This past Saturday, my debut novel, Marina, was unveiled to the world: as the clock struck midnight, Amazon’s website refreshed, and there it was.

It’s been an emotional rollercoaster. Leading up to the release, I was so nervous. It’s impossible to know what the reception of a creative project will look like. You can pour your heart and countless hours into something, just to have it misunderstood or disregarded by the audience. This was something that terrified me. But what a terribly egoistic fear!

So, I clicked that publish button. There is always more to write. This is just the first.

To me, any creative project has merit. Whether or not it is shown to the world is determined by its creator. The reception, in turn, is determined by the audience. It becomes its own being: sentient and independent, like a child leaving the nest of its parent’s home. I always wrote Marina with the intention of sharing it. It was a test of my ego: to write something that stood on its own. I wanted this project to be something that people enjoyed, a little bit of escapism, a little bit of fun. There’s a time and place for self-indulgent writing, but in this case, I wanted that to stay in my journal. And, maybe that’s the wrong way to look at it. Maybe next time I’ll do it differently.

It’s a learning curve for any artist—and it’s not a rule, either. You can do whatever you want. You’ve just gotta be aware of what you’re doing, and why you’re doing it—that’s what makes it ‘art’.

I want to thank everyone who has been supportive of this project. If you’d like, you can read a lovely review from one of my ARC readers on The Brooke Shelf, or pick up a copy of your own on Amazon.

Happy reading!

Julienne Smith