This is only the beginning.

I've been asked by many of my friends and family members why I decided to write. I have always loved to write. In school, I only did well in English classes because of the papers. I was always that shy quiet girl who sat in the back of the classroom. The way I expressed myself was through art and writing. In high school, I took a creative writing class where one of our assignments was to write a short story. We were given little to no parameters for this assignment. The only thing my teacher gave us was a minimum page limit. The story had to be at least six pages in length. While many of my peers complained about this length, my thought was only six pages?

I've always been one to at least try to go above and beyond what is expected. My short story was twice the length necessary for the assignment and even then I had trouble stopping. I had an idea in mind and wanted to continue it, but I knew I couldn't make my paper much longer than twelve pages. So, I stopped and turned in the assignment. The only comment I received was this would make an interesting YA novel. 

Challenge accepted. 

So, the summer after my senior year of high school, I decided to try my hand at writing. At the time, I wasn't sure what would become of this story. I had no characters in mind specifically. I had no plot to follow. No beginning or end. All I had was one chapter that I wrote my junior year. So, how did that turn into four books?

I had a dream. 

That's all it takes. One simple dream turned into four YA novels. I don't know if anything will ever come out of these books, but I had a blast writing them. I think that all that matters. There's something extremely satisfying about creating a piece of work like this. Unlike so many things in life, you have complete control over what you write. I love watching a single idea bloom into a full-blown storyline. I loved creating backgrounds and personalities for all my characters. While writing these books, the scenes played out in my mind like a personalized movie. I watched the scene unfold as I wrote it. I watched my characters grow and mature through the stories. I've become so invested in these characters. I laughed at some scenes and even cried so hard once that I had to step away from the computer, because I couldn't see the screen anymore. I want others to connect with my characters as much I have.

Now, I don't know if I'll ever get these published. That is ultimately my goal. For anyone who I've talked to during this whole process, you know how scared I am about that prospect. It's not the criticism, I worried about. I want that. I want to make these books the best that they can be. Truthfully, I'm not really sure why I'm scared. I just am. It's a weird feeling to think that there is a possibility that others could become as immersed in Ryanne's story as I am. It's strange to think that others could be reading Ryanne and Colton's journey and watching it unfold right before their eyes. Someday, someone else besides my family and a few close friends could be reading the words that I wrote. They could become a part of the world that I created. It's all just strange, scary, exciting, and nerve-wracking all at the same time. I can't even wrap my mind around it.

During this process, I've had a lot of support for my friends and family and I can't thank everyone enough. I've gotten so many encouraging thoughts from people who haven't even read my books yet. I've also gotten angry responses from those who have because of the cliff hangers ;). So far, besides some minor editing errors, I've gotten nothing but positive responses back. I have three books finished and I'm currently working on the conclusion to this series and the beginning of a new book. Now, it's just editing, editing, and more editing. Did I mention, I have to edit? As I continue to research everything that needs to be done to be successful in self-publishing, I'll try to keep everyone up to date. I honestly can't wait to see where this project goes. :)

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