Breaking the Chains...

For so long, my insecurities ruled my world. From my first memories, all the way into my adult life, I allowed my fears to hold me back. It wasn't until I gave my life to God, in 1998, everything began to change.

In 2008, the thought of being a novelist came back to me. I don't remember when I first started writing, but I do remember the first time I thought about becoming an author. I read a lot as a kid. It was my escape, my refuge away from a dysfunctional family life. My sixth grade year--a hard year--I spent every free hour reading. I devoured book after book. Each time one story ended, my heart sunk until I was captivated by another story. It was after reading a particular series, I thought "I want to create worlds for a reader to escape into."

Mostly my writings stayed in notebooks I kept in my hope chest--never to see the light of day. My junior year in High School, my English teacher entered a short story I wrote for class into a contest. I won second place. I will always be grateful to Mrs. Mary Martin for her encouragement.

Unfortunately my High School counselors weren't as encouraging. See, I wasn't a great student. I worked hard, but I struggled just to get passing grades. So when I started college, just trying hard wasn't enough to earn my degree. I'd learn years later, with my own children, I struggled with a form of dyslexia.

Back to 2008, the characters in my head, quiet for so long, were stirring. With the support of my husband, in the Spring of 2009 I began writing "Something in the Swamp" which would later change to "Twisted Roots; A Light into the Darkness".

When I began the journey, I did not know the story would need to be told in three books. I just wrote. No planning, no story board, no outline of any kind--I wrote until the characters stopped talking.

Meanwhile, other characters, in new stories began their chatter. I've written several short stories (published in anthologies), first draft novels (Inhabitation & The Road to Nowhere) and there are more stories in my head waiting for their turn to make it into a WORD document.

The title of my blog post is Breaking the Chains.

Chains are the the fear that holds us back from following our dreams. It's the voice of lies saying "You can't do this". I'm here to say you can do it! My first publication came out just before my 40th birthday. It took me a long time to break free and follow my dreams.