Destined to Write
My mom and grandmothers instilled a love of literature in me from a young age. My mom would often sit and read stacks of books to my siblings and me (my favorite when I was very young was Crosspatch by Helen and Alf Evers), and both of my grandmothers frequently took us to our local library and nearby bookstores. When the library hosted a summer reading program, we were there. I was proud to carry a library card with my name on it.
If you’ve read my bio, then you know that I wrote my first story (or the first one I remember writing), an alphabet book about animals, in elementary school. My mom was writing an alphabet book herself at the time, and it inspired me. My grandmother frequently penned poems, short stories, and even a manuscript for a full-length novel of her own, so I was surrounded by women who cherished the written word.
In my high school Advanced English I class, we were assigned to write a sequel to Richard Connell’s The Most Dangerous Game. It was one of my favorite assignments, and I have wished for years that my teacher had returned it to me.
In my adult life, I have often used writing for the benefit of my mental health. Putting my thoughts and feelings on paper can be therapeutic. A few years ago, I began writing a story inspired by mine and my husband’s lives. I’ve started that story a few times, but I haven’t yet been able to finish it. Someday, I will.
Though I always thought it would be an incredible honor to join the esteemed ranks of published authors, I never thought I would actually do it. It was nothing more than a pipe dream. That was until the story of my upcoming book came to me in the most unique of ways.
In November of 2021, while a friend was praying for me, she said that she saw “visions and dreams” over me. Not long after that, I began having visions and dreams of what would (or will) eventually become my book. They occurred over several days, but it was all one continuous story. It felt almost like watching a movie. I remember sitting up in bed one morning and saying, “I did not see that coming!” It was so vivid in mind where it remained stuck, so I decided to write it out, thinking that it would just be for me. There were some parts I thought about changing (perhaps at some point, I’ll share which ones), but ultimately, I wanted to stay true to what I’d seen.
Then one day, completely out of the blue, I received a card in the mail from a publishing company explaining how to start the publication process. I still don’t know how they ended up with my name or address, but I took it as a sign and submitted my manuscript, and it was accepted soon after. The road from that point to this one has been long, filled with trials in both my personal life and within the publication process, so it’s taken longer to get here than I anticipated. But those trials helped me to learn and grow, and God faithfully made a way through them. I believe his timing, as always, is perfect. And I cannot wait to share my novel with the world.
To learn more about my upcoming book, click here.