I wish I may... I wrote a book!

A small-town, grade-school library gifted me with access to Old Yeller, Black Beauty, and Beautiful Joe. All I wanted to do was read... and from that enjoyment came the desire to write... If only I might be a storyteller and write books.

While lightning bugs brought stars to earth, as a little girl, I stood outside, and wished with every bit of me, as I whispered into the night: 

Star light, star bright,
First star I see tonight,
I wish I may, I wish I might,
Have this wish I wish tonight.
Please, let me learn to write a book.
Let me tell stories and bring those stories to life.

As far as back as I can remember, that's all I've ever wanted to do. Write books.

After working jobs most of my adult life that required extensive overtime, with some writing eked out along the way, jumping into writing full-time, while taking writing craft classes on line, was one exciting, scary, hot mess.

I fumbled and stumbled my way through one book, which turned out to be the skeleton of a five-book series. The series, a story of fantasy and adventure, turned out better than I had hoped. The story is fact-paced, with lots of twists and turns to entertain and fun characters that will touch a reader's heart.

Since I intend to write in other genres as well, I wanted to write under a name specifically set aside for Young Adult fiction.

Also, I have an adult fiction venture planned as well.

2015. Exciting times!

NEXT: Projects and Projections

Since I've been far behind my self-imposed production schedules, I haven't posted a current and goal status in a while, so here goes:

First & Second Quarter 2014 Projects:

• Book #1, Series #1, is undergoing that that third set of eyes read through.
• Book #2's fleshing out and pacing is almost complete, with a goal to send to writing coach for review by the end of February.
• Book #3 is up next, with fleshing out and pacing scheduled for March.
• Book #4, due to family commitments in April, will undergo partial fleshing out and pacing, that will probably roll over to May.
• Book #5 will follow, naturally, Book #4 for fleshing out and pacing in May/June.
• Series #1 published in its entirety by the end of June, July at the latest.
• Note: If, by tracking my progress, I am able to speed up the fleshing-out and pacing process, the series will go live sooner.

 Third and Fourth Quarter 2014 Projections:

• July is set to write AND finalize Book #1, Series #2.
• August is set for writing a romance.
• September will involve the 2nd Book in Series #2.
• October, of course, will be horror novel month.
• November, Book #3, Series #2
• December, Book #1, Series 3

Of course, the projected schedule is fluid, depending on the realistic pace I am able to establish. That's the key to the next few weeks, gauging and measuring how much I've accomplished in what period of time, where accomplished, and any distractions thereof.

Writing-wise, that's my 2014. Interesting times and onward!

The End and Then Some

What does it feel like to type THE END?

The first draft of the final book in Series #1 is complete. Five books drafted, with revisions starting later today. In a few days, my one-year of writing full-time becomes a milestone. At the fourteenth-month mark, I will have completed, revised, and final drafted a five-book series. Ideas for the next few books have been simmering, and diving into writing the next series is only a few weeks away.

Those are the facts, yet when asked how does reaching this milestone and finishing the series feel, I didn't have the insight or the words to describe those feelings, so I turned to the Alexa Writes Books blog to tap into the experience and those emotions.

First of all, I am breathless with relief. Not a boy-I'm-glad-that's-over-with relief, but it's as if I've been holding my breath in anticipation when I hadn't realized I wasn't breathing full lungfuls of air for a very long time. This series has been years in the making, and finally found its way to the page.

The this-is-complete relief is tinged with sadness.

I finished a five-book series, whoo-hoo, right? Yet there's sort of a feeling of loss as if I am preparing to let the series go and say goodbye to the characters that will have been with me for over a year. Happy, sad, bittersweet.

There's also a sense of accomplishment, mixed with apprehension about the next phase of my writing-books-and-making-a-living goal. Sending the book to an editor, making final editing changes, self-publishing. Yikes, talk about fish-out-of-water sensations.

Also, I am experiencing a sense of excitement. This is the Yeah, Baby! moment. A kind of satisfaction of pursuing a dream and living it. The thrill of reaching my goal tingles right down to my toes.

Of course, there's also the enthusiasm of diving into the next project and the next, while basking in the surety that I finished the previous book and/or series and did my best before moving on.

THAT's how it feels to type THE END.

Series #1 revisions, here I come!