Writing is my first love. It takes courage to write compelling work, especially to tell moving stories in fiction where the only limits are the limits of your imagination. Lately, I’ve started to publish some very marketable books, but my goal is to write many more.

Since 2016, I’ve been working on the art and craft of writing, building up the skills, techniques and irresistible talents that novelists use every day. I’ve also been studying the publishing industry and the world of books, learning what it takes to “get your big break.” It seems like a never-ending journey, but after several life-affirming adventures, I’m feeling encouraged to push forward in my pursuit of becoming a notable author.

On the first Wednesday in May, for a session of my local writers critique group, I cracked open the first chapter of my third novel. The novel concept is based on some of the legends and mythology that surround the total solar eclipse, which I find fascinating. It’s not finished yet, because I put it down several years ago, having lost faith in my writing abilities. As I prepared for this writers group meeting, though, and as I heard the feedback from other writers around the table, I realized it is strong writing. It’s compelling fiction, with a compelling story, and this manuscript is one that deserves to be finished. Maybe even published one day.

If anything, in my life I’ve struggled with too many creative ideas. I find new inspiration and ideas every single day, everywhere I look. How is it possible to pursue them all? That brings me to a very short idea that brought me back to my blog — the books, upon books, upon books that I hope to write as the years progress.

My dream is to publish a novel one day, through traditional publishing, which even after a rigorous selection phase, is an 18-month process. As I work up to this, though, my hope is to publish a wide variety of books that span many topics and many genres.

• Short Story Collection Inspired by the Night Sky — Aiming to publish this in 2023!
• Novella of Magical Realism — the story of a museum and a Message in a Bottle
• A Children’s Book — beautifully illustrated and devoted to my late twin brothers
• Below the 45th Parallel — A series of guidebooks? Notice the first edition was “Volume 1”!
• An Aurora Novel — My first completed novel manuscript, currently under consideration
• A Milky Way Novel — Very marketable concept and outline, a work in progress
• A Solar Eclipse Novel — Work in progress!
• My Memoir — One day, I will tell my story, with all of its twists and turns
• So many more ideas!

So, where should I start? Well, I breathed some life into my passion for writing this year by attending the AWP Writers Conference in Seattle and discovering the Pacific Northwest while sharing 25 Writer Insights. I also discovered a local boutique publisher I am eager to work with, and now I just need to develop a pitch!

On top of that, I’m keeping an eye out for a graceful children’s book illustrator, and I am workshopping my fiction to make sure my technique is the best it can be, before I land a book deal. I also plan to set up a meeting with an independent publisher, because I am seeing my marketing prowess at work as I send my first book of nonfiction “Below the 45th Parallel” out into the world.

Previously, I published a poetry collection and The Social Gap Experiment Anthology, a pandemic project to raise funds for charity. My writing has also been published and reviewed in many outlets. I even write for my dayjob as a communications manager, where I am fortunate to interview world class researchers and manage social media at the University of Michigan Department of Climate and Space.

Now, it’s time to make writing creatively a priority at night. I can’t wait to share more of my creativity!

Photo by Jongsun Lee/Unsplash