Lots of people have asked me, “How did you do it…write and publish a book while working a full-time job?” The answer is that it wasn’t easy. As far back as I can remember, I always felt that I had “a book” in me. It lived in my head in various versions, such as a memoir of my childhood, or a story from experiences working in the Operating Room, or my experiences working as a homecare nurse. But then life got in the way; family, job, school, etc.

One of the first things I learned when I embarked on this literary journey was that many writers and authors carry a book in their head before they finally put their fingers on the keyboard, or pen to paper. I think it’s just a matter of when.

When I finally put my fingers on the keyboard, I made a promise to myself that I would see it through no matter what. So, I wrote a few chapters and then sent my pages to a critique site on the web. Within a few days, I received an eye-opening email. Words like “cliché” and “banal” (which I had to look up) and someone even wrote that I should consider another hobby! It was embarrassing, but my story had to come out.

I did some research and thought about my favorite authors and then approached writing in a more disciplined way. I set a daily goal to write 1,000 words per day or at least 7,000 per week. The experts said to just write to the end and then go back and edit. It was hard to do at first, but once I let go and stopped worrying about whether or not I was doing it “right,” the story spilled out, even faster than I thought possible.

When I finished writing DETACHED in July, I took a one-week hiatus and then started the next book which I completed in eight weeks. I am currently writing my 3rd and 4th novel, setting weekly goals for each.

I look forward to sharing the details of those stories and hope you will enjoy my writing.