Beating The Odds
Well, my whole road to becoming a writer was from pain. My mom got sick with cancer and died in 2001. Her dying at only 54 kinda shook me up. It made the fact that we aren't assured tomorrow so obvious and that I was in a miserable marriage and unhappy in my life except for my kids. It wasn't enough anymore.
And it seems in times like that there is a greater force at work. My dad remarried 6 months after my mom died and then my husband left me. So there I was all alone, my biggest fear, looking out into an abyss of what the hell do I do now ?
So I started writing. I wrote about my sadness, my anger, my fears, and my life as I started over again. And before I knew it I had something that I thought other women were probably going through. So I shopped it around at a writer's conference. I had nine agents interested in the story, but they didn't pursue. But I just KNEW this had to get out for other people. Then fate intervened. It brought me to a job where I met someone that had worked with writers, she had contacts, graphic guys, printers, and so I published the book myself. Happy Beginnings: How I Became My Own Fairy Godmother came out in January of 2006.
After that I got ideas for novels and started writing them down. Like movies they played in my head which made creating them so much easier. To date I have ideas for nine novels and two screenplays.
Again pursed the "typical" way to publish but felt that doing it myself was the way to create, have control, and also make sure the works were what I wanted.
This is what I am doing now. Created a new company and doing the books. And I have never been happier. So often times when you find yourself facing your biggest fear, dealing with devastating circumstances, and having to change so drastically you are really just coming to the place where things will make sense...or where happiness awaits.
I am sure there are those with more trauma than mine, but for me having to be alone and create a life on my own was like walking through fire. In that whole time I found myself. I found strength I never knew existed. And most of all I found my voice.
Thanks for this opportunity to share. I hope something in here inspires others.