An Inside Look at Something New I’m Building

If you’re reading this, you’re part of a small group of people who have been following my writing journey as it unfolds. Because of that, I wanted to share something here before I talk about it publicly anywhere else.

I recently created my own publishing company. The name for my company fits my brand perfectly - Little Doorknob Publishing. It reminds me of something that might come from the book Alice in Wonderland. And saying this out loud still feels a little strange... but in a really great way.

Two and a half years ago, I would never have imagined writing that sentence.

Before all of this began, I had spent many years working in my previous company. I expected that chapter of my life to continue until I eventually retired. That had always been the plan.

But when that relationship ended, I suddenly found myself standing in a place I hadn’t planned for. At the time, I truly didn’t know what would come next or what direction my life would take. I was even trying to figure out who I was without that chapter of my life. My whole identity shifted very quickly.

What’s interesting is that the outcome is turning into something I never expected - a dream I didn’t even know I had. And in many ways, this path has helped heal me.

Many of you already know the story of how Maddie first appeared one night while I was in that half-asleep space between dreaming and waking. I’ve shared that story before, so I won’t repeat it here. But that moment opened a door that I didn’t even know existed. After Maddie, more ideas started showing up. Quickly.

Sometimes so quickly that I had to stop whatever I was doing and write things down before they disappeared.

Characters showed up. Scenes appeared. Entire story ideas would land almost fully formed.

Within a fairly short time, I had written several children’s stories. At that point I still wasn’t thinking of myself as an “author.” I was simply writing the stories that were showing themselves to me.

I never imagined all that was involved in getting a story out into the world. Honestly, I thought writing the story would be the hard part. I was mistaken.

Writing the story is actually the easy part. It’s really just the beginning of a book. I found a small local publisher and over the past two years I’ve learned so much. Some lessons were hard on me, and others came more naturally. But turning those ideas into real books is a process that takes time, patience, learning, and a lot of determination.

I began to understand how much goes into bringing a children’s book to life. It isn’t just the story on the page. There are illustrators who interpret the characters and give them faces. There are design decisions, page layouts, printing choices, paper choices, distribution channels, bookstores, libraries, school visits, and festivals.

And the more I learned about it, the more I realized something important. I enjoyed being part of all of it. Not just writing the story but watching the whole process unfold. Seeing an illustrator’s first sketches arrive in my inbox. Watching characters come to life that had only existed in my mind. Holding the first printed copy of a book and realizing that something that once lived only in my imagination was now a real object that a child could hold. There’s something deeply satisfying about that journey.

I thought about it for a while. Could I really be my own publisher? Oddly enough, my husband pointed out that I was already doing almost everything a publisher does. I was only missing one piece - learning how to format the books myself.

Recently I decided to take that challenge on. And to my surprise, it was easier than I ever imagined.

That’s when I realized I was ready to take my dream of being an author to the next step.

Now I have my own publishing company.

It’s small. It’s just me. And that fits perfectly for where I am right now.

What I’ve discovered about myself over these past few years is that I don’t just enjoy writing the stories.

I enjoy building the entire path that helps those stories reach readers. And I feel confident that I will bring this new little company into the world with the same grace and hope I felt when I first brought my very first story to a publisher.

I also have one more dream connected to all of this.

One day, I would love to own a bookshop. I believe that dream will happen too. After all, just look at what has happened in the past two years. Two and a half years ago, I didn’t know the first thing about writing stories. Today I have five books published, three more coming this year, and several of them have already received wonderful recognition. I’ve met readers, worked with talented illustrators, visited schools and book festivals, and watched my stories travel far beyond what I ever imagined when the first one appeared.

Sometimes when I step back and look at it all, it still surprises me. But it also reminds me that sometimes the doors we never planned to walk through end up leading us exactly where we were meant to go. And when I think about it, the name I chose for my publishing company reflects exactly that. For the past two and a half years, I’ve simply been turning the doorknob to see what might be waiting on the other side.

If you’re reading this, you’ve been part of that journey as it has unfolded. And I like the idea that the people who have been following along get to see these milestones first.

There’s more ahead that I haven’t talked about yet. I’ll share those things here with you soon. For now, I simply wanted you to know that something new has quietly begun behind the scenes. And I’m excited to share it with you.

With appreciation,

Cindy