Friends! Can you believe my debut book, Blooming, has already been out in the world for a year?!? I definitely cannot. The past year has absolutely flown by and has been one of the wildest rides of my life. I know that we’re just getting started, but I want to take the time to look back at some of the highlights this past year. Read this full post for a recap of one year of Blooming, and how I’m celebrating this month!! 🌸

Initial Launch

Let’s take it back to the debut of my book. It was such a pleasure to host my book tour in three cities across Canada: Kelowna, Vancouver, and Toronto. If you haven’t already had the chance, make sure to read this previous blog post for a reflection on my book tour! These three events really kicked things off, along with my first signing at Indigo Kelowna right before the tour started. This initial signing was covered by Global Okanagan News, which was pretty surreal in and of itself! I also had a range of media coverage about the launch of my book and the tour. Make sure to check out the press page for all of my coverage to read more! 📚

First 6 months after launch

During the summer after launch, I had a lot of fun getting my book into various bookstores and retailers for purchase. This included locations in Toronto, ON and Interior BC. Blooming also went live on Amazon and my website! As we approached the fall, it was announced that I was a finalist in The Canadian Book Club Awards, which was super exciting!! I spent most of the fall travelling for work, but hosted a reading/book signing in Toronto in November. The end of 2023 wrapped up on a high note, when Blooming was announced as the Poetry WINNER of The Canadian Book Club Awards. It was so surreal, and this moment officially made me an award-winning author!! 🥰

1 Year In

Winning the award definitely breathed some new life into my promotion of Blooming. I was able to secure some additional media features, and started attending more local arts events in the Okanagan. Some changes were made to bookstore and retail locations that carry my book as I relocated back to BC. One big addition included having Blooming now available locally at Indigo Kelowna! Browse the updated list of locations you can purchase my book from here. I had some additional signings at Indigo in February and April, which went very well. I’m looking forward to more over the coming months too. 💐

Some Fun Statistics

All in all, here’s a look back at some statistics over the past year:

• Hosted 3 book launch events across the country and a signing at Indigo Kelowna as part of launch
• Reached #8 on the Death, Grief, & Loss Poetry Amazon bestseller list during initial launch
• Reached #2 on the Poetry for Young Adults Amazon bestseller list in early 2024
• Multiple book signings in Toronto (1) and Kelowna (3)
• 12+ media features including articles, podcast episodes, and TV interviews
• Multiple bookstore/retailer locations in Toronto (previously 4) and the Okanagan (currently 7)
• 2023 Poetry Winner of The Canadian Book Club Awards
• Current book sales in the hundreds
• Connected with countless people across the country ♥

What’s Next?

It has really been a wild ride so far. I am so grateful for every damn second! To celebrate one year of Blooming, I’ll be hosting a range of events this month – including a signing at Indigo Kelowna, readings at various libraries in the Okanagan, and more. Make sure to visit my Instagram for more details and subscribe to the email newsletter for updates about events! PLUS, I have a big announcement coming soon in early June. You’ll want to be on my newsletter list to be the very first one to hear the news. Subscribe so you don’t miss out!!

Thank you infinitely for your support of my work. To anyone who has felt touched by Blooming in some way, YOU are the reason why I released this book. I’m so glad you found each other. Thank you for joining me on this wild ride – there’s a hell of a lot more to come. ♥