It's been a few weeks since I last wrote. I can't believe it's almost October - September slipped past me. Now that fall is in the air, it has me pondering about how fast life passes by us. I was working on edits for Adrift this morning and thinking about how this story has grown from the first book.
Do you ever look back and wonder how you came to be in a certain place in your life? Wondering how things aligned just right to get you where you are in this moment? Some might call it luck, some fate or destiny, others might say it was due to hard work and perseverance. Whatever the reason, you've landed there, in just the right place for the planets to align and things to finally click.
That's how it is when I think back on my first book, Ascension. It's been three years since it was first released, but it was a journey to make it to that point. The story had been stirring in my head since I was a teenager. I could have written it at any time, but I often wonder, if I had, would it have been the same story? Would the journey of my characters be the same? Would it have been one book or the series that it is today? I'm tempted to believe that it would not have been the same. As Violissa often tells Sinow in the later books, the experience is what shapes them to be who they become by the last book.
The same applies to me. Without my experiences over the fifteen years it took me to finally start writing Ascension, the story would not have been as rich as it is today, my writing style not as developed, the characters not as defined. When I finally did start putting the story to paper, something told me it was time. I don't know if it was instinct or simply the story calling to me, but something urged me to finally start the tale that had helped me fall asleep every night as my anxiety-filled mind clung to it for calm.
Something also urged me to approach my future friend Liz DeJesus at a comic con and ask her about her publishing experience. and something pushed me to begin the submission process. The rest is history as they say. There were, of course, bumps in the road but even those had consequences that worked out for the best. When my publisher closed shop, it offered me the opportunity to publish the books the way I wanted, with the flourishes that speak to who I am. Again, it's as if the path was meant to be followed, just as the path my characters traverse is meant to be.
We can't guess what the future holds, but we can hold on tight and enjoy the journey.
Until next time...