The strangest part of releasing a book?
It’s the weeks after.
When the noise quietens.
When the adrenaline drops.
When you wake up and realise the thing you’ve been carrying for a long time is no longer just yours.
What I feel most right now is relief. Deep, full-bodied relief.
For a year of writing, and another year of editing, this story lived quietly behind the scenes. A lot of solitary effort. A lot of invisible work. A lot of trusting that something mattered, even when no one could see it yet.
Now it’s out. And people are celebrating it.
That feels incredibly affirming.
I also feel calm. More than I expected.
I think part of that calm comes from realising that people have read it… and they still like me. That sounds light-hearted, but it’s very real. There’s a settling that happens when you realise you’re still held after being seen.
And….. I’m tired. Properly tired.
The kind of tired that comes from being a sleep-deprived mum, doing something big, hosting Christmas lunch, and landing at the end of a long year all at once. It’s not dramatic. It’s just honest. A full-body exhale.
What surprised me most after the book was out wasn’t the quiet. It was the emotional hangover.
I expected people to comment on the sections I worried about. The parts I thought might raise questions, spark debate, or invite discussion. I imagined conversations about characters or moments or decisions.
Instead, the messages have been final in a way I didn’t anticipate.
“Great read!”
“I couldn’t put it down”
“Deeply enthralled”
“I finished it in under 24 hours”
There’s something surprisingly disorienting about that kind of closure. When a thing you laboured over quietly is met with acceptance, rather than interrogation.
And then, very quickly, life continues.
This “after” feels familiar though. I’ve been here before, just in different clothes.
It feels like finishing a 30-day charity run.
Like launching a small business after months of preparation.
Like ending a relationship and starting again.
That moment where the build-up is over, and you’re left standing in the quiet aftermath, asking yourself what now.
What I wish someone had told me in those moments…and maybe what I need reminding of now, is this:
You don’t have to rush through the after. You don’t have to immediately turn it into the next thing.
In the last few days (okay weeks… this post took weeks to write), what’s helped me land is very simple.
Not replying instantly.
Staying away from social media.
Letting myself be present in ordinary moments without narrating them.
If you’re reading this and you’re someone who calls themselves a high-functioning doer, or if you find yourself having just finished something big.
Here’s what I hope you hear:
You’re allowed to rest.
You’re allowed to enjoy the big deals.
You don’t have to immediately move on.
Sometimes the bravest thing to do after a huge effort is to let it land…..
💛 Thank you
Lots of love,
Karlee x