I can’t believe that a year has gone by since I released my very first book, “The Map in the Fortune Cookie!”
For as long as I remember, I always wanted to write. I never thought I could, so I never did. But one day, about eighteen months ago, I decided that I would try. I found a website that had “story starter” phrases, which are intended to give new writers ideas to help get them started in writing. I started to write, intending to be a short story, and before I knew it, “The Map in the Fortune Cookie” was born.
It wasn’t easy, and sometimes I found it outright frustrating. I never thought about giving up, but I did give it a rest a few times. With the encouragement of my partner, Benedict, who was also appropriately pedantic (and usually right) when going over my drafts, I finally managed to finish my manuscript.
I initially published on Smashwords, a site for indie authors. A few weeks later, I was placed on to their Premium Catalog. I then moved to Amazon and Kindle to reach a wider audience.
What surprised me more than anything was that apparently, people liked my writing! This was something that I never expected. I thought I’d get laughed out of town at best, completely ignored at worst. Instead, I have received wonderful reviews on both of the books that I have published to date.
So a year down, where does this leave me?
Well, I have been incredibly slack over the past few months with my newest book, “The Body in the Building.” Writing is a creative process, and there are times when you may not feel up to the challenge, but part of the process is to push through the times when you get distracted by other things.
Along with my other interests at the moment, teaching Taekwondo taking personal training sessions, I need to ensure that I leave time in my life to write. I know that I will never make my fortune out of it, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a passion and something that I love doing.
So I will push forward with “The Body in the Building,” and I will continue to write into the future.