People often ask when I became a writer...

 

Where It All Began

People often ask when I became a writer.

The truth is, I don't remember deciding to become one.

When I learned how letters formed words and words formed sentences, a whole new world was opened to me and I haven't stopped reading.

Growing up, there was a willow tree in our front yard. My grandfather had planted it from a single branch, when he was first married and over the years it grew into something enormous and magical. Its long branches draped toward the ground like a curtain, creating a world all its own.

I spent countless hours beneath that tree and swinging from its limbs. Every year, my family would watch the Founders Day parade from the front porch while the willow cast its cool shadow over us.

Looking back, it's no surprise that one of my first stories featured a magical willow tree.

As a teenager, I discovered fantasy through a book that changed everything for me: The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks. I can still remember the feeling of opening those pages and realizing there were entire worlds waiting to be explored. It wasn't just the adventure that captivated me. It was the possibility. The idea that words could build places, people, and journeys that felt completely real.

At the time, I was working in a laundry facility. Between shifts and everyday responsibilities, I would scribble ideas whenever I could. I had no grand publishing dreams. I wasn't building a career plan.

I was simply writing because I loved it AND I had to get the story out of my brain!

Years later, I still feel connected to that younger version of myself. The one sitting beneath a willow tree. The one writing stories during lunch breaks and after work because she couldn't imagine not writing them.

Seventeen stories later, a lot has changed.

The genres have changed. My craft has grown. I've learned things about publishing, deadlines, revisions, and the business side of books that I never could have imagined back then.

I'm still chasing that feeling I discovered beneath the willow tree. That sense of wonder. That spark that asks, "What if?"

The stories may be different now, but they're all rooted in the same place.

*A tree planted by my grandfather.

*A fantasy novel that opened a door.

*And a young writer who couldn't stop imagining what might happen next.

Are you a writer? A reader? BOTH? 

Tell me something about you! A favorite book or author or what you're writing now. 

(I took this image off the internet. As soon as I find my own picture, I'll replace it).