Bloom and Bound Beginnings!

When I started Bloom and Bound Publishing House, it was out of necessity, honestly. In order to publish my book, I decided to go the Indie publishing route, and that meant I needed a publishing house behind it. I had already been working with Emily on illustrations for The Pup with the Heart-Shaped Nose and had been absorbing any and every piece of advice she offered about the process of writing and publishing my first book but, initially, I was a one-woman show who was under the impression I would be creating a publishing house for one book! Little did I know, as I was brainstorming names, that this space would become something so much more for me!

Over the past three years, I have bloomed into someone I never knew I could become (and again, did so out of necessity) so I wanted to make sure that was a focal point of this journey . I also knew that I wanted to incorporate my love of dogs - specifically my pup with the heart shaped nose. The definition of "bound" in dog terms means to "run with energetic, leaping strides, similar to a 'happy gallop.'" There is so much more I can elaborate on about that and the meaning behind our name but, in short, watching Decimus run leash-free (on purpose) the first time has become a core memory for me. It was pure happiness, watching him have the time of his life and do what makes him happiest. In that moment (and several times after), I was so filled with pride and joy for him! The name, Bloom and Bound, is meaningful, yes, but the mission behind it became equally - if not even more - important to me.

Very early on, Emily and I realized working together was an actual dream come true for us and we both kind of thought "why stop with just one book?" I already knew I had many more book ideas that would need illustration and, in reality, working by yourself just is not as much fun as working with a friend. Having someone to run ideas by and reel you in when your dreams are moving a little too quickly is absolutely crucial - especially when embarking (no pun intended) on something so new and unfamiliar!

The merger between Bloom and Bound and Maddaisy Creative was only the beginning. Our team is small but mighty and constantly expanding (volunteers, content creators, etc.).. We have so many exciting events and projects on the horizon - and maybe even a few new-yet-familiar faces to introduce to you in the near future! When I say this has been one of the most exciting and rewarding endeavors of my life, that is utterly true and somehow still an understatement. I love writing and I love what we are doing here at Bloom and Bound. There is so much passion, pride, and creativity behind this little crew of ours, and we have so many exciting projects in the works that we can't wait to share with you!

Thank you so much for supporting us so graciously and enthusiastically so far. We hope you continue following our journey and reading our stories for many years to come!