Creating stories and worlds unexplored has been a lifelong passion - yes - from the age of four I vividly remember 'An Author' the answer to every 'When you grow-up' question. I poured over different fields of study for college, classical piano being the only other option that interested me. However, studying music and practicing 8+ hours/day became more of a commitment than I could offer as a momma.
I wrote the first two books of the Fealty Trilogy in 2010 and found that after 60+ rejections, the only shelf I would see my 'baby' novel would be on my own. I took a break from the Fealty series, and decided to take creative writing courses.
This is when I self-published The Short List: A Compilation of Short Stories. Every story had rave reviews and when The Therapist short was selected for publication in The Leonardo Newsletter, it provided a much needed boost of confidence. I became a guest speaker at the local college creative writing course for those seeking to write novels and the avenues of self-publishing. At the time, there wasn't quite as many options as there are today.
I wrote the first two books of the Fealty Trilogy in 2010 and found that after 60+ rejections, the only shelf I would see my 'baby' novel would be on my own. I took a break from the Fealty series, and decided to take creative writing courses.
This is when I self-published The Short List: A Compilation of Short Stories. Every story had rave reviews and when The Therapist short was selected for publication in The Leonardo Newsletter, it provided a much needed boost of confidence. I became a guest speaker at the local college creative writing course for those seeking to write novels and the avenues of self-publishing. At the time, there wasn't quite as many options as there are today.
At this point in 2011, I decided to move forward to the next great idea!
I finished writing Prodigious, the first in its Trilogy series, in 2013 and submitted to receive, again, a handful of rejections.
I finished writing Prodigious, the first in its Trilogy series, in 2013 and submitted to receive, again, a handful of rejections.
Then life really took a turn. I became a single momma and had multiple health challenges arise. Writing would have to take a backburner. My heart just wasn't in it. And neither was my mind!
Finally, rejuvenated and re-inspired, I picked up Prodigious in 2019 and completely revamped the characters, narrative voice and major plot details. I changed the name from Prodigious to The Cull to Genesis Awakened. After hours spent researching agents, submissions were sent and followed by rejections.
Why is it so hard to nab an agent? I had spent hours upon hours researching query letters, writing and rewriting. Nothing seemed to pan out. Until...well - I decided maybe I needed to take charge of my passion and dreams. After finding that over 40% of published authors are self/indie authors, I knew that had to be the answer for me. Every good thing is worth the work it takes to get there. If you have a dream, keep at it, and when you're met with rejection, keep on persisting. Success will come to those who truly stick with it.
Why is it so hard to nab an agent? I had spent hours upon hours researching query letters, writing and rewriting. Nothing seemed to pan out. Until...well - I decided maybe I needed to take charge of my passion and dreams. After finding that over 40% of published authors are self/indie authors, I knew that had to be the answer for me. Every good thing is worth the work it takes to get there. If you have a dream, keep at it, and when you're met with rejection, keep on persisting. Success will come to those who truly stick with it.
Social Icons