Life is Truly Stranger Than Fiction

The old saying, “Life is Stranger than Fiction”, epitomizes my journey this past year. Some days I’m still not sure any of this is real, or if I’m going to sadly wake up from this incredible dream.

One year ago, I discovered Golden Crown Literary Society (GCLS) and soon after was accepted into the GCLS Writing Academy 2021. I was not a published author, nor did anybody in the Sapphic writing community know my name. My wife and I lived a quiet existence in the middle of a cornfield where I wrote my stories. I’d not even heard the term, an author’s voice, let alone found my own.

FLASH FORWARD!

I’m a published author. My second novel, Upheaval: As We Know It Book One was released by Sapphire Books on August 15, 2021, and my debut novel, Broken not Shattered, hasn’t sold half bad.

The most surreal feeling is that people know my name. From the obscurity of the cornfield, to being able to shoot off an email to a number of people, including award-winning authors, who will gladly offer advice and encouragement. Through GCLS and the Writing Academy, I have met amazing people, who have made my journey truly special. I would love to recognize them all by name, but as an author I know I might lose my reader. So, to move the plot forward, thank you to all who are traveling this path with me.

During this journey, the most difficult aspect has been my quest to determine who I am as a writer. To find my voice, so to speak. As I went through the Writing Academy, I discovered my books don’t neatly fit into the contemporary romance genre. While all my books have an element of romance, it isn’t necessarily the primary focus.

I also found that some find my subject matter a bit heavy. Being an eternal optimist, I struggle to see my writing as anything but positive and uplifting. Even though my characters must work a little harder, they will get their happily ever after.

As I contemplated what happily ever after meant to me, I’d written out the letters HEA. Before long, I had scribbled the words, Hopeful, Eclectic and Authentic. I’d found my brand, and I was at peace. I don’t write contemporary romance. What I write is, hopeful stories of resilience that are eclectic and told in an authentic voice.

Stranger than fiction? Seems like a fairytale to me. In one short year, I have found a community and my voice. And hopefully, I will sell a few books along the way too.

If you want to read something a little different, check out my upcoming release. Upheaval: As We Know It Book One.