Yesterday was the day of my book launch, which was an intimate garden party not far from my home. I’m so pleased with how it went, and had a fantastic day.
After months of arrangements and planning, the day finally came. I had imagined every detail, right down to the table decorations, and with a lot of help from family and friends we managed to pull it together.
We raffled a signed hardback copy of the book, sold many more, ate lots of ice cream and drank Pimm’s, and enjoyed the fabulous weather that we were lucky enough to get.
The best part of the launch, though, was finally being able to share what I had been working so hard on.
It was only months ago that I first had the idea for this book, and to be able to hold a physical copy of it in my hands is a truly strange, but incredible feeling. To know that people now have my book in their homes, and will be using my recipes, is mind-blowing.
It was dreaming of this event that got me through the hard parts of self-publishing. It was a road I had never been on, and had almost no one to turn to for advice. There was more than one moment where I felt out of my depth, overwhelmed, frustrated, alone and anxious.
I worried that I’d never have the motivation to actually finish it. I worried that it would be rubbish. I worried that some unforeseen hurdle would appear, and I’d have to just give up on the whole thing. I worried that no one but my mum would buy it.
I’m a worrier, by the way.
An ice cream recipe book isn’t ground breaking. It isn’t going to change anyone’s life or make me a fortune, but publishing this book has reaffirmed this: you can achieve even the most insurmountable goals if you just don’t give up.
Thank you to everyone who came to my launch, and a double thank you to everyone who helped put it together. I’m so excited to see what is next!
Anastasia x
A.J. Alexander 