My First Novel is Published, and it only took me wearing how many hats to get here.

Find all the links below if you want to read my YA Fantasy novel- Justyce Scales of the Otherly and Obscura.

But for now, a short tale.

Do you know the saying ‘wearing many hats?’ I think becoming an author probably required the most amount of hat-wearing.

You see, I’ve been many things in my life and all of it has added to life experience that can add layers to wonder when I write.

As a child I started writing poetry and short stories. I still write poetry and short stories, now I’ve just added full length novels to it, welp, 13 full length manuscripts that need a good edit and some professional representation.

You see, that’s how long a seed idea can take to grow into a magnificent tree of possibilities.

I’ve now self taught to a point I’m confident in my writing skills and currently dedicated to winning one Writer’s of the Future contests before I get back to writing novels. But I am working on making a new cover for Justyce Scales and next year I’ll be self publishing Justyce Scales Two.

I still remember the first time I was asked to read a poem I wrote. It was probably grade 3 or 4 at an assembly in front of the whole school. Maybe that’s where my social anxiety started!

I even remember the plot of one of the stories I wrote in grade school. Here’s the plot as I remember it;

A woman woke to a smoke filled room. Crawling along the floor to navigate her way to an escape, she knew in her heart, she would be unable to save anyone in the burning house.

I suppose I was dark at a young age, but pulling emotion is pulling emotion 😉 And sadness can be stronger than happy. Here’s a excerpt from a poem I wrote in grade school;

I lie demise-like, concealed by this pink tree that defends me from the eclipse you generate with your putrefied hatred. The pink leaves of affection fall from your corruption.

But, you see, my writing didn’t carry through my life because I changed hats pretty quick after school. I began wearing my first ‘life’ hat.

Mom hat.

Redacted.

Redacted.

Wife.

Healthcare worker hat- which is more of an emotional vampire than children (cut loose during C@vID)

StepMom hat- hardest thing I’ve encountered. My biological children are automatic love. You can’t change love. Step-children are the next level. You choose to love.

Grandma hat.

It took all those hurdles, and I’m sure many more in my future, to come to this hat- Author hat- so I wear it with pride (with a little more anxiety than probably healthy but here I am.)

Pride that I overcame so many demons in my life and now I can write about monsters. With creativity and reality.

But like SK- I’m still scared of the dark.

So you see, I was born with creativity and stories packed so tightly in my head that it took my whole life’s adventures to unwind those tales.

I imagine things most people can’t, it’s not always fun *insert emoji*

Anywho, subscribe to my email list to stay up to date on my ramblings, poetry and publishing adventure!

Til next time,

NR

Click on your preferred bookish method below to order my novel, Justyce Scales of the Otherly and Obscura (the story follows Luci in an alternate universe where she’s trying to rescue her mom and escape the darkness of Obscura. It’s kind of like Alice in Wonderland mashed with Strangers Things) and stay tuned for more exciting news as I start to plan my book tour.