So, I did.

Sharing my writing journey might be a super boring subject, but I'm gonna share it anyway because if there's an off chance it might enlighten just one person and give them encouragement, then it was worth the effort.

It's kinda a long story, so I'll try to keep it short because I know y'all have lives outside of reading blogs. And thanks in advance if you end up reading the whole thing!

I'd never been a big reader. Mostly because I struggled to read my whole life. Still do. My childhood school years were often spent in "resource classes" (as it was called back then, aka, special ed). Being branded as "stupid" put a damper on my desire to read at all, and it wasn't until I was an adult that I realized I most likely had dyslexia. But ya know, that knowledge freed me in a way where I now understood that I wasn't stupid. I was hardwired differently, and I could read at my own pace in my own way.

So, I did.

I poured myself into reading and loved it.

In 2012, I said to myself, "Self, you have so many ideas crammed into your head, and there's no reason you can't write a story, too."

So, I did.

And I went nuts.

I wrote a dozen books within six months, and when I reached out to Julianne Donaldson (author of Edenbrooke) to gush about how I Iove her book, she suggested that I join a critique group and attend the LDS Storymakers conference.

So, I did.

Without anyone ever looking at anything I wrote, I entered a first-chapter contest at the conference and won third place in the suspense category. I was blown away. Me. I won a writing contest. Me!

(I won other awards, too, over the years; crazy, right? If I can win, you can, too!)

Needless to say, it gave me a boost of confidence and that maybe I might have a talent for writing. I continued writing and learning the craft because I still had a long way to go and much to learn.

After the conference, I attended Julianne's book signing, where I presented her with drawings of her Edenbrooke characters. She liked them so much that she asked if I could draw up her character in her then-upcoming book, Blackmoore.

So, I did, and she added the drawing to the beginning of her book.

(My drawings were also featured in a movie called 8 Stories. Look it up!)

A little over a year later, I was chatting with an editor about getting some of my books edited. They mentioned to an editor at Shadow Mountain (a publisher) how many stories I had written, and Heidi (the editor) contacted me, asking to see six of my novels.

SIX!

This might be where you'd think I'd write, "So, I did."

But I can't, because I didn't.

Because I prayed about doing so, and my answer was that it wasn't right for me and that I needed to stop writing (for a time).

So, I did.

I stopped writing for eight years, and I'll never regret that decision, as hard as it was. I had growth in other ways that needed to happen. My connection to my husband, children, and God grew stronger, and that was more important. My family and I moved from state to state, and we even sold our house in Arizona to live and travel in a 5th wheel RV to see the country. I learned so much (and it inspired a few suspense novels I have yet to publish).

So, fast forward to the end of 2021. I'd returned from a life living in 400 square feet with four other humans and a dog and bought a "sticks and bricks" home back in Arizona. Life settled down a bit, and I wondered what I was going to do with my time now that I wasn't on the go.

I opened my old documents and read some of my stories I hadn't seen in years and LOVED them. I'd forgotten the plots, so it was like reading them for the first time. That all sparked a desire to write again, so I wrote 900,000 words in 9 months.

I don't recommend doing that. I'm a bit nuts, so don't follow my example.

So I said to myself, "Self, you need to publish them."

So, I did.

I chose to go the indie publishing route because I have so many stories to share (like over 40 stories) that I couldn't wait for the years it would take to finally get a book published the traditional way. Hoping to build up my resume, I sent my stories into contests and won, which helped keep me going.

Let me tell you, indie publishing isn't easy. Algorithms suck the life right out of me and often put up blockers for growth and my books being seen (that's why it's important to leave reviews and share the books!). But it's been worth it to see and hear the reactions of my readers. And I couldn't do it without the support of many amazing book bloggers/reviewers and you readers! I seriously adore you and all you do! And I want to hear what you think of my books, so please contact me! Leave comments on my socials, and most importantly, leave a review anywhere you can!

So, if you are a writer, or you have other talents that you wish to share, but you're unsure of the journey.

Do it.

You never know if you'll win an award if you don't enter (if I can win some, you can too). You never know if your story might encourage, uplift, or spark imagination, so, do it!

Take the plunge. You never know where it will take you.

Thanks for reading to the end!

I love you all, and God bless!