I've always loved to write. My first short story was published when I was in 8th grade, when my science teacher submitted it to the state teachers' organization's newsletter. When I was 18, I had two short stories published in the same month, in separate science fiction and fantasy magazines. I was so proud when I got the checks for those two sales. I immediately called my mom to let her know. Her response was "I hope you don't think you can make a living doing that!" Since that was exactly what I'd been hoping (and those two checks were more than two week's salary at my minimum-wage student library worker job), her comment hit me pretty hard. I didn't completely stop writing, but I did stop submitting my work for publication.
Fast forward 17 years. I'd started participating in
NaNoWriMo during my divorce. NaNoWriMo is an annual challenge to write 50,000 words during the month of November. I was an area organizer through my library, and in 2005 I churned out an erotica novella I called
Strip.
The other people in my group encouraged me to polish it up and submit it to various publishers. I did, and got a stack of rejection letters. Then I got one acceptance.
Strip is being published as an ebook from
New Concepts Publishing.
Today, I got the cover art.
Never stop reaching for a dream.
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