My Author Journey

Hello there! (Yes, that was in fact an Obiwan Kenobi reference. Sorry! I couldn't help it!)

Now, back on subject. Hello, and welcome to my blog! I'm so excited to be able to share insight into my journey as an author, behind the scenes of my novel, and lots more!

For my first post, I wanted to share with you a little bit about my journey to my debut novel. I've been writing stories and books for most of my life. I distinctly remember writing my first story when I was about five or six. I was so proud of my work! My mom, who is my number one cheerleader, was very supportive of my story, despite its naturally poor, childish quality. Her praise helped encourage me to keep doing what I loved.

Soon after I started writing, my sister, Sarah, soon joined me, and we've been writing together ever since. It's safe to say it's one of our favorite hobbies, and the one we've done consistently over the years.

Though, for most of that time, I was too shy to show my work to anyone. Partially because I was afraid of rejection, and partially just because my stories were special to me. I felt that if I showed them to anyone, they probably wouldn't treasure my work the same way I do. Those two reasons kept me from publishing for so long. However, the third reason was just that publishing is hard work, whether you self-publish or go with traditional publishing. You have to spend countless hours writing, getting feedback, re-writing, getting more feedback, and re-writing again. That doesn't count the time spent preparing and researching; I never thought I would need to research if people had roasted chestnuts in the 1800s or if women shook hands in the 1950s. And then there's the time spent looking up words in the thesaurus and dictionary, self-editing, formatting, finding the right cover, and all the nuts and bolts of self-publishing, such as figuring out how to copyright, where to publish, getting an ISBN, and lots more. I was daunted by the enormous task and really wanted to just enjoy my writing, instead of making it a 'chore'.

However, when I finally chose to publish my book I wasn't surprised by the amount of work involved with the process, but I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. Sure, there were some days when I wanted to throw in the towel, or rather pull my hair out when I couldn't figure out formatting, or when I forced myself to proofread for the gazillionth time. But, for the most part, I was intrigued and excited about the process; figuring out how it all worked was like getting inducted into a secret society that only published authors are privy to.

To sum it up, it's been a long journey to get to where I am now, but I'm thrilled to be here! The world will finally be able to see what I've invested my heart and soul into, and I couldn't be more excited.

Please let me know what you think about Wasp Queen. I'd love to hear from you!