It’s been a bit more than a decade since I finished and sold my first full-length novel (romantic suspense Surrender to Sanctuary). It was a shock to me at the time that anyone would want to publish it (it’s a bit on the kinky side)! But I was lucky, and thus started my career as a novelist. Or so I thought.
At the time I wrote the book, I had been unemployed for a couple months. I was fortunate that I had some severance pay from my previous employer, which gave me time to find a good job and write fiction. The story was completed in four months, and I thankfully had a new job in six.
I worked in the advertising department of my local newspaper. It was stressful and exhausting, but I kept plugging away at writing.
After a few years, I got a new job, this time in the newsroom. I was so excited. My role was administrative (which is my background), but I’d be with other writers — full-time, professional writers! I’d learn from them. I’d soak up their creative energy! Happily, my wonderful boss encouraged me. I got to write a piece for the paper for the 10th anniversary of 9/11, and I even wrote a weekly column about local authors for about three years.
For a couple years, I was managing to write part-time and work full-time. I wrote and published a ghost story/romantic suspense novella (Adrienne’s Ghost), a women’s fiction contemporary (Christmas Dance) and a children’s fairy tale (Lights of Imani). I also had a short story (Blood Moon) published in a Halloween anthology. I blogged regularly with the Roses of Prose, and we wrote original Christmas stories each December.
All that came to a halt in 2018. Although I had worked in fits and starts on a couple of projects, none had been completed. The stress level at the job had increased, I had aged, and I had no energy left at the end of the day, real or creative. So I put my writing on hiatus.
But now I find myself in a familiar position. I’ve recently left my full-time job and am looking for a new part-time job. In the meantime, story ideas have started to creep into my brain. I’m not sure how/if/when a full story will emerge, but I’m enjoying the process. And that’s enough for now.