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# After the Storm: Lessons from My First Release
- URL: https://www.themariejohn.com/after-the-storm-lessons-from-my-first/
- Published: 2025-04-13T02:04:20.000Z
- Updated: 2025-04-13T02:04:20.000Z
- Description: It's Been a Ride 😮‍💨
- Author: Soul x SWMarie ✨
- Tags: Newsletter, #Migrated-1791144068973, #Import 2026-10-04 20:05

Hey y’all 🖤

It’s been a couple weeks since *Scandal in the Dark* dropped, and whew… what a whirlwind. I’ve been meaning to sit down and write this post — not just to give you a little peek into what’s coming next, but also to reflect on what it’s been like publishing my very first book.

Spoiler alert: it’s been equal parts *beautiful*, *terrifying*, and *absolutely nerve wracking.*

### 🎉 Hitting “Publish” Was… a Journey

First of all, let me just say — hitting that publish button? That was an emotional rollercoaster. I had butterflies. I had doubts. I had this little voice in my head whispering, *“What if no one reads it?”* But then I remembered why I wrote it in the first place — for the ones who feel unseen, for the girls who’ve been through betrayal and heartbreak, and for anyone who just needed a story that *gets it*.

And y’all showed up. The love, the support, the reposts, the “Girl, I devoured this in one night” messages — you have no idea how much that meant to me.

### 💡 What I’ve Learned Since Publishing:

Whew. Okay. Lemme be real for a second. Releasing your first book teaches you *a lot*. About yourself. About the publishing world. About rest. About boundaries.

Here’s a few things that stood out to me:

- **You will always feel like you could’ve done more.** And that’s okay. What matters is you *did the thing*.
- **There is no “perfect” launch.** Every author I admire started somewhere. I’m building my own rhythm.
- **Your first book is a teacher.** It teaches you your writing habits, your workflow, your reader base, your areas to grow. It’s like the most intense crash course ever.
- **Rest after launch is not optional.** Ask me how I know 😅 I had to literally schedule softness and recovery time which I am partaking in as we speak. I am in my soft, rest, and recovery mode bubble.

### 📚 What I’m Working on Now: *Scandal in the Dark: Part Two*

Yup. We’re already back in the dramaaa.

Without giving away too much, let me just say this: *if you thought Part One was wild… Part Two is the fallout.* We’re digging deeper into the characters — their choices, their secrets, the consequences. And let me tell you, nobody’s safe this time around 😮‍💨

I’ve been having so much fun (and chaos) writing it. It’s been a challenge to slow down and really live in the *messy* middle of these people’s lives. But that’s what makes it real.

### ✍🏽 To My Fellow Creators:

If you’re sitting on a story, a poem, a script, or a blog idea — let this be your sign. You don’t need a perfect plan. You don’t need 10k followers. You don’t need the stars to align. You just need to *start* — and trust that it’s enough.

The world needs your voice. The people who need your work will find you. I promise. 🤍

Until next time,

Soul