I have to tell you I had difficulty coming up with an answer that didn't make me sound a. conceited, b. self indulgent, or, 3. narcissistic.
Let me 'esplain...
I was raised in a strict Irish/Italian Catholic home. The only time we celebrated anything was if it was a Holy day. I never had birthday parties as a kid, because money was tight and my mother considered it a waste to celebrate something that came around every 365 days.
I was a straight A student but my report cards were never celebrated. It was expected that I do well just because it was...expected. When I brought home my report card, my mother signed it and said, "Keep it up."
When I got into college - the first in my family ever to do so - my parents' only response was to ask how I was going to pay for it.
See a pattern here? I lived almost my entire life this way. Until, that is, the very first time I was published.
The day my first book went on sale was March 5, 2015. That night I celebrated by making myself a cake and opening a bottle of Skinny Girl Cosmo.
That little ritual has now become a pattern. For every book's release day, I make myself a chocolate/chocolate cake and open a bottle of Skinny Girl. As self indulgences go, it's pretty tame. But it's the one way I celebrate me and my accomplishments.
And you know what? It never gets old. Every new book published ( there have been 18 so far with 3 more planned to release this year ) I get a thrill from eating that cake and toasting myself with a cosmo. Of course I also get a sugar high and a little buzzed, but....
How do you celebrate yourself and your accomplishments? Like I said, it took my until I was 55 years old to do so. How about you? I'd love to hear.
Book #18 released two days ago and I'm so happy it's out in the romance-reading world.
VANILLA WITH A TWIST tells the story of a small town, single mother and ice cream parlor owner who's faced some tough choices in her life, and an engineer at a crossroads in his, who walks into her shop one summer's day and changes both their lives for ever.
And yes, I made a cake and had a cosmo on Wednesday! hee hee
Until next month, peeps ~ peg
Follow me on my webpage: https://peggyjaeger.com/
19 comments:
You deserve all the celebrations of you that you can get. Raising a glass to you!
Oh, Peggy, my dear, you deserve a DOZEN chocolate/chocolate cakes and fancy drinks! I remember my first book launch. I was going to throw a big release day party... and then a church friend passed away. I rescheduled for a month later. Another friend passed AND my husband's aunt! By this point I felt like my books were picking people off, and I never have gotten back into scheduling a big celebration for future releases. Now, we usually order take-out Chinese for the family on book launch days, but it's acknowledging the hard work and accomplishment that is important, whatever your tradition is. Writing a book is no small feat, and you've done it again! YAY, YOU!!!! <3
I was 55 when I sold my first novel. I'm 71 now and never looked back. Best on your new book!
Cheers to you on the occasion of your book launch! Yeah, lots of us were infected with that "Don't get a big head" nonsense. I made sure to celebrate my daughter's accomplishments properly in an effort to shake off that toxic attitude. A cosmo and chocolate cake sounds marvelous! We celebrated my latest book release with a steak dinner. Yum!
Jennifer - thank you for the toast!!!!! I'll make a cosmo tonight and drink it down to you!! heehee
Cheri YIKES!!! You are a much stronger person than I am, that;s for sure! I don't know how I would have handled those events if they happened to me, being as I am sososos superstitious!! hhahaha. Thanks for the kind words, and support!
Ilona we are book birth twins!!! 55 rocks!!!
Sadira - because I wasn't celebrated as a kid I took pains to celebrate every success my child had and I am so glad I did!!!! Maybe next time I'll have a steak dinner. It sounds delish!
Peggy, good for you for breaking a family tradition and starting a new one. I no longer eat flour but I did gaze longingly at your chocolate chocolate cake! If it had been a chocolate cream pie with whipped cream I would have drooled. I have various things I do to celebrate an accomplishment. What's important is for me to attach the activity to the accomplishment so it might be a drive to see the waterfalls along the Columbia River (well, when we get to that part of the Opening Phases) but it would be to celebrate something specific. I'd love to spend a few days at along the Oregon Coast with my laptop and celebrate getting back into the rhythm of writing. That's still to come.
Judith those are all fabulous ways to celebrate. I think I need to come up with a new one, maybe one that doesn't involve sugar and booze! ahahahahahhh
We always open a bottle of bubbly--either champagne or Prosecco--and I save the corks. Leo gave me the most adorable box to keep the corks in. It's wooden, with a heart-shaped glass front, with the words "every cork tells a story" etched in the glass. But, you're right, it's not a comfortable thing for me either...the whole celebrating myself thing. I don't think of myself as much of a celebration. Lol. Congratulations on your new release! I read it and it is WONDERFUL! Maybe you should've made an ice cream cake for this one!
Donna - let me tell you, girl, if there was a CARVEL near us, I would have bought myself an icecream cake!! hee hee. I used to love CARVEL cakes and everything else CARVEL, too!!! thanks for stopping by and for your kinds words and encouragement.
Love the treats you give yourself! Good job. But oh that photo of chocolate cake!! :) Good luck with your latest. I know it will be as successful as the others! Hugs.
Barbara - I know. I;ve got to come up with something that doens't have sugar or booze, but what???? Haahaha
Enjoyed your celebration of YOU, Peggy! Love your sense of humour. Sounds like you're in for several more Skinny Girl drinks. Go, girl!
I hope you had ice cream on the cake this time! Hehe. I make a cake with each book, too. We deserve to celebrate but I hear you on not celebrating myself enough. Your new book is in my Kindle waiting for me. ;) Looking forward to another good one from you. And 18 books in five years!!?!? Way to go, Peggy!
Congratulations on your latest release, Peggy! I'm celebrating your release with a piece of dark chocolate and a cup of good decaf coffee.
I love your way of celebrating every book release. Best wishes with the latest, it sounds lovely. We don't always get what we deserve as children and you certainly missed out. Wishing you a happy birthday for every one of the years that we have been blessed since your birth.
Peggy - just finished your book last night - well around 2 a.m., and loved it! I celebrated with you by buying ice cream at the store. Something I rarely eat, but was craving it... for some reason. Hmmmmm...now I'm craving chocolate cake for the same reason....hmmmm. Could there be a correlation?
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