Savannah Jezowski's Writing Journey (After Blog Tour)

Instead of my normal Personal Notes post today, I'm excited to welcome special guest Savannah Jezowski! Savannah is celebrating the release of her novel, After, with a blog tour, and today she stopped by to share about her writing journey! I'll share more about her book and the tour at the end, but first, here's Savannah!

Thank you for having me today! I am very excited to be here to talk about my writing journey. I started writing stories before I even knew what a paragraph was. My first book was handwritten, illustrated with crayons, and bound with yellow yarn. I keep it buried in a box where I hope nobody will ever find it. It’s truly quite awful. But it’s MINE and I can’t stand the idea of throwing it away.

I think every author will agree with me when they say there is nothing quite like the first published book. I remember the morning I heard that my novella “Wither” had been accepted for publication in the Five Enchanted Roses anthology. I screamed. I double checked my phone. I got on my computer to double check again just to make sure I wasn’t seeing things. It was such a big moment in my life. I was giddy, I was ecstatic, I was flying in the clouds…then revisions came around and I came back to earth with a resounding thump they probably felt all the way over in China. Because, let’s face it, like with all dreams, writing requires a lot of work. Good things don’t just happen to you, you don’t just stumble into a happily ever after, or upon a magic lamp. If you want your dreams to come true, you have to work very hard.

I wish revisions on that first story could have been easier. Truly, I shed a lot of tears and despaired of ever succeeding, and worried about disappointing my editors who had given me this wonderful opportunity. But in the end, I succeeded. I finished the revisions. The story was published. It would have been easier to give up, easier still to have never tried at all…but that experience with all its highs and lows has led me to publish several other books and short stories, to start my own business so I can stay home and take care of my darling daughter instead of sending her to daycare. I’ve made SO MANY FRIENDS. One of my best friends ever is an amazing lady I met on Facebook. We’ve been friends for three years now and I cannot imagine life without her. I’ve joined several writing groups and learned how to market my books, how to brand myself, how to build my own website. I’ve taught myself how to photoshop, how to format my own books, and design my own covers.

It all began with that awful little book without paragraphs that I have buried in my filing cabinet. Isn’t that where we all begin? Our “Origin Story” as the super hero universe would say. Our beginnings may be humble, our journey long and difficult, but the only sure way of not succeeding is to never try at all. I hope all my readers are never afraid to put themselves out there in pursuit of their dreams.

I would love for you all to connect with me and share your dreams with me!

Thank you so much for sharing with us, Savannah! Here's a little more about the author:

Savannah Jezowski lives in a drafty farmhouse in Amish country with her Knight in Shining Armor, a wee warrior princess, and two English Springer Spaniels. She is the author of When Ravens Fall and The Neverway Chronicles. Her work has been published in Ray Gun Revival, Mindflights and in the student publication of Fountains at Pensacola Christian College. She is also a featured author in Five Enchanted Roses from Rooglewood Press and Mythical Doorways from Fellowship of Fantasy. She likes books, faeries, writing hats and having tea with her imaginary friends.

You can find Savannah on her website, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads. And here's the blurb for her latest release, After:

“Some people might say that there are worse fates than death. In some worlds, perhaps that may well be the case. But in mine, it would be a lie. There is no greater horror than that which comes after death.”

On the streets of an ancient city, with creepers wandering at will and a mysterious assassin leaving corpses all over Pandorum, a young Spook with a dark secret will do anything to keep his brothers safe, even from forces that threaten to tear them apart from within. While others are searching for impossible cures from outlawed Spinners, Conrad Ellis III does not believe in fairy tales and miracles. But when he discovers a strange girl with shrouded ties to the Assassin, Eli is forced to leave the streets he loves and travel into the very heart of Pandorum in order to save a member of his family. With his health failing and the danger escalating, there is no escaping the inevitable truth. Today, he may hunt creepers.

Tomorrow, he just might be one.

So intriguing! You can purchase After on Amazon, and enter here for a chance to win a signed paperback copy! Thanks again for visiting today, Savannah, and congratulations on your new release!

Check out the rest of the stops on the blog tour!

Blog Tour Schedule

Monday, May 14^th

• Review – Rachel Lopez
• Review – Cup of Books
• Review – Hunting for Truth

Tuesday, May 15^th

• Guest Post – Lands Uncharted
• Book Review – Reflections of an Author
• Guest Post – Jenelle Schmidt

Wednesday, May 16^th

• Book Spotlight – Seasons of Humility
• Author Interview – Jilligan’s Island

Thursday, May 17^th

• Character Interview – Jenelle Schmidt
• Character Interview – Unicorn Quester

Friday, May 18^th

• Author Interview – C.O. Bonham
• Author Interview – Autumn J. Cruz Writing
• Book Spotlight – Read, Write, Laugh, DANCE

Saturday May 19^th

• Author Interview – Liv K. Fisher

Monday, May 21^st

• Blog Tour Wrap-Up –Unicorn Quester