#WriterRevelations: He Holds It All by @ChelseaDeVries

This post has been in the works for a while but I made the decision to discontinue my books with Outskirts Press.

That is why, you may or may not have noticed that I took away the link to my books on Goodreads

but guess what?

Goodreads will forever keep the books and all the bad reviews on the site forever.

I guess I can never technically erase my poor reviews and equally unfair one-star reviewer.

Yet, when I decided to discontinue them, it wasn't because the one-star reviewer had won but it was because I wanted to rid myself of that ball and chain.

Outskirts Press ripped me off from the start. They did little to help me market my books, and because I owed them money for the yearly fee, they kept my last royalty check.

So basically when I wrote them a final email asking how I could cancel the contracts for both books, they were a little taken aback but they discontinued them. Twitter erupted with panic and comfort from author friends new and old, but I reassured them I was totally ok with this decision.

In fact to be completely honest, I felt more free in that moment than I had in a while.

I want to be known as a YA author whose books were well-liked and accepted so I will anxiously see what God has in store for me and the future home of Kickflip My Heart in the meantime.

Yet, if an agent or publisher does not reach out for a full manuscript request or begin the process of publishing the novel by December 10, 2018, I will be moving toward publishing with a publishing house that welcomed me from the get-go, and even offered to publish my memoir once I get copyright permission for all included song lyrics.

Yet, I can't forget The Lovely Review done by McKenzie:






Yet, I penned an essay about being One-Star reviewed for a contest for The Writer Magazine and unfortunately did not win but still think it's worthy to share:

     Being that I’m a go-getter who believes anyone can do anything at any age and they don’t have to wait for the right time or circumstance to achieve something, I published my first novel at 15 years of age. It all came about when my creative writing teacher in high school always made it a point to let everyone know in the class who her favorite was: not me. And even worse, she always gave me B minuses and C’s on all my writing assignments.
At fourteen, I took a chance and submitted a poem I was proud of to a student anthology and got accepted. This momentum made me enjoy the glory of seeing my name in print and made me realize my love for the written word came less from my love of reading but an almost innate heart of a writer.
Yet, you will know you are a writer when you know how to embrace rejection because it will be a common obstacle on this path. If you have always been accepted by your peers and never done anything truly awkward or weird or like me to blatantly stand out, then you are not yet a writer. Not everyone is a writer but that’s okay. Writers are only as good as the encouragement they get from their readers. 
My teacher who already made me feel second best assigned us a short story and what resulted for me was this idea for a young adult romance set in Walt Disney World featuring a half-Latina lead female character named Jessica Cortez, who happens to be a famous actress, deciding to take a Disney vacation to escape the hastiness of Hollywood to pursue love full-time by inviting three male suitors. These include her teenage celebrity crush Jeremy Koeingzfield, her high school crush that got away, Pete Young, who is now a male model, and her first love, sexy thrasher Bryan Snyder. It starts out bachelorette-style where she dates the guys in groups and then goes on one on ones but we all know what they say: three is a crowd. In a rebellious move, I self-published the book with a vanity press when self-publishing was still completely taboo.

To read the rest of the essay, please feel free to download a complete copy by clicking the image below.

So far I've cut my hours at work and it has allowed me to focus on God's purpose or calling outside of writing, and that is The Smart Cookie Philes.

You can benefit both The Smart Cookie Philes and Bess The Book Bus with a purchase from the new merch shop.

 Shirts with this design will always and forever benefit Bess The Book Bus.
They start at $21.

For more on Bess The Book Bus, find out more here.

Buy One Here or to the right via The Smart Cookie Philes link.

 Mugs with this design allow you to ESPRESSO YOURSELF literally while reading the newest review or watching the next Booktube installment fully benefitting the maintenance and content of The Smart Cookie Philes.

They start at $15.

To find out more about The Smart Cookie Philes, view this page and video here.

This sticker design starts at $6 and you can make all your notebooks look SMART from the start of the school year and beyond. 

Click The Graphic below to shop SMART.

So I am trusting that either the Smart Cookie keeps growing or I find a better opportunity doing something I love and not feeling frustrated because my job feels like empty time and just a paycheck.

Yet, I know God's got my back regardless of what comes next. And in the meantime, I can find strength in the wholeness of his all-encompassing grace.

So I must stop looking at the circumstances in front of me, the wind and the crashing waves, and realize that my Lord is calling me to walk on the water amidst the storm, and asking me to step out in faith.

After all, we walk by faith and not by sight.

Until next time, remember this insightful revelation from Dr. Charles Stanley:

In Christ-Like Confidence and Love,

Chelsea

xoxo