I originally wrote this just for my newsletter, but I think it’s something I should share on my blog too, so here goes.
Lovely reader,
My writing journey has been a bit of a rollercoaster. The first book I published was a paranormal fantasy/sci-fi mashup with dystopian and post-apocalyptic undertones. I mean, I have zombies in there, so…
Slowly, after catching the writing bug with that first book and finally learning there is nothing more in the world I want to do, I made my way through book after book about writing and publishing and readers, everything I could get my hands on. All the while, I was trying to figure out what, exactly, I wanted out of my writing.
Some writers do it for themselves. Others do it because they like making readers happy. And some do it for money. Or some combination of things. The “why I write” varies A LOT, and every writer needs to find their own reason.
I’m a combination author. I write because I love it and it helps me explore the world and my crazy thoughts. I write because I want to make readers laugh, cry, think, escape reality. For me, money is a necessary evil. We all need it to live, and so my goal there is to make enough so that I can KEEP WRITING. I have no delusions of being a millionaire or something. I just want to write.
This is how I eventually found my way to the paranormal fantasy and romance genre(s). I love tons of aspects of this combination of genres and so do many readers. It seemed like a place I could fit while still being true to myself and honest with my readers, all important aspects of writing for me.
This leads me to Demon Snare. I’ll admit I was fairly new to the paranormal romance genre when I dove in. Demon Snare went through a rocky transition because of that. My go-to reading is usually YA. There’s something about my favorite YA books that is both thoughtful and heartfelt. Not surprisingly, Demon Snare turned into a young adult/new adult paranormal fantasy/romance. I marketed it as adult in the beginning, though. Whoops. Live and learn.
The romance in this series, These Immortal Vows, may seem secondary to the story, but this story, at its heart, is centered on love. It probably doesn’t feel like a typical romance, but I think it might be my greatest love story to date. The series isn’t finished, but you can bet I know exactly how I want it to end. Someday, I’d really like to finish it. I carved out time to write the third book, Witch Trial. It’ll be released almost three years after Angel Asylum, the second book. That’s a crazy long gap for me, but there’s a reason for that.
Remember my goals? To keep up the level of writing I’m doing now, the most important thing of all to me because it means I get to write all the time and reach more readers much faster, is dependant on money. Remember how I said I marketed this series in the beginning? Terribly. Totally my fault in every way. The series flopped. Hopefully, it only flopped because of my inexperience with business and marketing. I’m trying again to introduce this series to the world.
But you never know. That’s the craziest part about writing. You never know what’s going to resonate with readers and what won’t. In the end, all I can do is try. If we don’t fight for our dreams first, we can’t expect them to become real. And, however my writing journey turns out in the end, I’m thankful I’ve gotten to write so many books for you all. I’m thankful I’ve gotten to explore the worlds in my head and the magic and the love.
I’ve reached many more readers than I could have ever imagined when I started this journey. Thank you. There’s not much else to say but those two simple words. They often don’t seem like enough.
