When this whole craziness started, I had no intention of becoming an internationally award-winning author. I just wanted to write a book. I don’t mean publish a book or build a series, just write a complete and good story about something.
That was then. Now with some success and positive reinforcement writing has become a necessary and vital piece of my life. The creation and crafting of stories allow me to express ideas and make sense of the world around me. And the process provides great emotional satisfaction.
My writing resume went something like wrote some bad short stories in school and loads of technical documents for work. With this foundation, I moved on to science fiction. It was, well, not so good. I tried several stories, but nothing caught fire. In typical writer’s fashion I decided to switch to something else. I used what Joss Whedon, Bram Stoker, and Steven King had taught me about vampires, and crafted the world of Sara Anne Grey.
Okay you’re thinking, that’s all well and good, but vampire books. Wasn’t there a better option out there? I mean, cookbooks and coffee table picture books always do well. The truth was that the vampire books taught me how to develop complex characters and create settings. Once thought out, they just about wrote themselves. The Sara Grey series produced both my first book award, the iUniverse Editor’s Choice Award, and my first international win, Grand Prize at the 2014 London Book Festival.
With physical proof that it could be done in my hands there was no going back. The Sara Grey series allowed me to develop my writing style. After which, I was able to reach out into other genres. I’ve now also written adventure stories, mystery/thrillers, and yes, even a science fiction story. The Thrillers, set in the world of Doctor Kristin Hughes, produced my second international win, the Grand Prize at the 2019 Paris Book Festival. Following this, I’ve moved on to dystopian thrillers, which has produced another rich canvas for my creative ideas.
I’m supremely grateful that writing has slowly become an ingrained part of who I am as a person. Every time I sit down to write, the process teaches me as much about me as it does produce great stories for others to enjoy. The goal now is to simply continue crafting great stories.
