I always told myself that I would retire from my accounting job, set up an office in a room with a lot of light, write and publish novels for the rest of my life.
This year I had one of those ah-ha moments. I said to myself, why am I waiting until I retire. In a discussion with my partner, they encouraged me to start now.
So, I looked through my manuscripts, and like a moth to a flame, it drew me in. I remembered how close the main character represented parts of me and that made my decision easy. It’s a paranormal adventure about two dhampyr sisters, with a stubborn main character who has trust issues. Perfect.
This manuscript had helped me out of a dark moment in my life and led me to where I am today. I opened it up and started to read. There were times my partner would look over at me and ask me if I was laughing at my manuscript and I proudly said yes.
Between April and August, I tackled the list below:
- Editing
- Working with beta readers
- Researched a lot on traditional publishing versus self-publishing
- Put together a query letter and synopsis
- Research Pitch Wars and PitMad
- Opened a website
- Started building my social media presence
- Facebook Page
Now here I am in September, with a manuscript I am proud of and one I have submitted to Pitch Wars. Whether a mentor chooses me, I know this is only the beginning of my journey to become a published author.
If I have any advice for someone who may wait for a better time in their life to publish their work. I would pull out of the cliché saying… there is no time like the present.