I’ve written seven short stories, two novels, and I’m working on a third. I have two more planned. I’m a writer, not just a writer, but a published author. I can truthfully state that my professional title is “AUTHOR”. I’ve actually done it and accomplished a lifelong dream. That’s pretty damn cool.
I’ve been in the hospital again and I’m currently home on IV antibiotics. I have to see a surgeon to find out if I need a biopsy or surgery. They don’t think I have cancer, just another really weird illness. I’ve been plagued with weird my entire life; I've actually had Cat-Scratch-Fever before. No, it’s not just a song and it sucks. It demolished a lymph node and I had to get it removed. Three weeks in the hospital and three months learning how to walk again. I got it when my daughter was three and we wanted to have a second child, but it can cause extreme birth defects so I had to wait a year before we could try. It’s why my kids are five years apart. It was so weird that I required a team of infectious disease doctors, and they wrote a paper about me. My primary was so excited to show me off to all his specialist doctor friends he was giddy, at least someone enjoyed it.
I've never thought of myself as having a difficult life or suffering childhood trauma, but in all reality, I’ve had some difficult situations and some trauma. From bizarre medical situations to my parent's divorce, and my father's alcoholism, I may be a poster child for childhood trauma. Despite that very real possibility, I have not given up and I’ve realized my dream of becoming an author. I say this because you can do it too. It’s most definitely a lot of work but it’s surpassed my wildest dreams. No, I’m not famous or getting rich, but I’m doing it and it feels like I’m the most successful best-selling author ever!
I started writing this blog so I could help others reach their goals and hopefully not make the same mistakes l’ve made. I also wanted to chronicle my journey and memorialize my progress. Even though I’ve been an author for less than a year, I’ve already improved so much. My first draft of Force of Corruption was a hot mess, riddled with grammar and punctuation errors, and sometimes it was just a rambling jumble. Now it’s an edited, published book available at Barnes and Noble, Amazon, and the library!! When I think about it now, there’re so many things I would like to fix in it, but I’m not going to do that. It is a step in my journey, and I love it. (I still plan to fix those few typos though)
When I worked at the library for ten years, I dreamed of being an author. Back then my love was horror. I devoured every Stephen King and Dean Koontz novel the moment they hit the shelves. I hadn’t found my love of romance yet. I had no idea those little old ladies who borrowed sacks full of Harlequin Romance novels were sex fiends. No wonder they read so many, there’s nothing like finding your dream book boyfriend, right? I have fallen in love with love and the twists and turns to find it. But I’ll always love horror too.
My cover designer just sent me a mockup for VioleNt, my horror WIP (remember this acronym from last week?) I’m thrilled with the cover; Monika is a genius. She takes my Jenga-esque thoughts of what I want and crafts them into works of art. I can’t wait to share it with you. But first I need to finish writing it. I’ve worked out some interesting details in the plot while I’ve been recovering. It’s going to be creepy, cringy, and oh so satisfying. I love it when the truly evil get exactly what they deserve.
I’ve also decided to share some of my favorite short stories with the voice artist who is recording my books. He’s really excited about it and so am I. He said his wife loved A Purple Pony, that made me feel great. My personal joy is delighting readers with my writing. Enough sales to cover my costs would be amazing, but my real reward is hearing from someone who liked what I wrote. It’s like nothing else I’ve ever done.
Eventually I will share all of my stories with you, probably in audio form. How wild is that? I’m getting tired so I’m ending here. Remember, you can be an author! You can follow your dreams and make them come true.
Have a lovely Easter and Passover! As always, thank you for reading!