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Multi-genre Author

I am not your typical writer who spent her childhood with her nose in a book. My stories pull from my military service, legit* camping (no glamping allowed), eight years of travel in an RV, many sports, my two Bachelor’s degrees in Health & Human Sciences (Exercise Sport Science & Interior Design though I started in Chemical Engineering), and so much more.

I may not have the finesse with words like some (or maybe most) other writers, but when I talk about flailing in an end-over-end tumble down a snowy mountain, you can safely wager I’ve been there or experienced something similar. <-This one I truly have done. Obviously, the implausible in this era (like light-speed ships) stems from my imagination.

If books weren’t always in my life, why did I start writing them?

I have been making up stories in my mind since I was in first grade. That year is also when I learned I could control my dreams if only to switch to something else less scary with a simple tap of my thumbs on my fists. (Weird, right?) Saturday mornings, I would regularly wake up mid-dream. If the sun’s up, I’m up. I didn’t want my dreams to end because of how lifelike they were (still are): full color, textures, people (from family to strangers), conversations, pressures and gravity, and sounds–and I’m always on a mission to save or protect someone or find something. I would lay in bed and make up the endings so I could feel like the situation was resolved, and I could move on with my day. As I got older, I started to journal them to help me function during the day and not spend it reflecting on the insanity that was my “rest.”

I don’t sit still well.

I spent most of my youth thinking there were two kinds of books: classics and schoolbooks. I did not like either (I actually hated reading) but respected them, nonetheless. Then my grandmother gifted me a Kindle Fire for my graduation from college, and I discovered an entire realm of fun books that I did not know existed. That summer, after devouring fun books, I started writing my first novel. It took me four years to get it finished and published. Writing has become more than an outlet but a way to explore new places and experience new things, and a reason to, as well.

I’m planning to add at least one more genre (mystery/suspense/thriller) but am still working out which one I want to break into. The manuscript I’m working on has all three elements. But I have learned after eight years in publishing, that I need to write the book for the genre, not write the story and find out where it fits best. I love writing, but more than anything, I want my readers to be happy and satisfied when they finish my books.

The tough love situation…

A lot of readers think writers are rich. A few are. The vast majority of us write because we love it. It’s the only way we can keep doing it. I have almost 1,500,000 page reads on Amazon at the time of writing this post, but I barely break even every month. When I have a profitable month, I often donate to a charity. You can find a list on my About the Author page.

The dream/nightmare

I dreamt of being able to work from home, because I, too, fell under the assumption when I first started out that writing books makes lots of money. No, it has the potential to with books written to market and optimal (expensive) marketing. Or luck. I can’t tell you how many times I have beat my head against the wall, trying to figure out where I went wrong.

But then I remember the reviews that prove to me my books are valuable, just maybe not to the masses or with regard to money. And while weeks or months of work seems like a pitiful exchange to know one person loved the book, that was my first goal.

After tons of expensive business and marketing classes that taught me a lot but accomplished very little except to grow my bills, I went back to my roots for writing in the first place. It was heartbreaking and devastating after so much work and money spent… but also a massive relief to be free of the pressure to be financially successful. I honestly think it stifles the creative spirit if none other than with the sheer power of stress.

In marketing, it’s taught that to admit weakness is to push others away. But guess what… I’m human. I’m a person writing from experience. I have been successful, and I have failed horribly. And, as odd as it is to say this, being a person who writes and publishes without AI content (minus a few Grammarly suggestions), is actually saying something. Other than using that editing program, you will always get human-created content from me. (And seriously, auto-correct is my biggest nemesis right now!)

I write the stories because I want to, but I publish them with the hope of making one person happy. I hope my books give you an enjoyable escape and provide you with a chance to think about the future, those around you, and ways we can thrive when we set aside our differences and work together.

Thanks for reading.

If you’d like to try an adult book for free, select the genre above and sign up for the newsletter. You can contact me via the contact page, or reply direction to any newsletter. I am currently building the YA newsletter. It will be ready soon. I don’t have one planned for the children’s books yet. When I have more publications in that genre, I will consider adding one. Thanks again for stopping by!

I hope you have a wonderful day!