I've always loved fantasy. My father read Tolkien to me when I was a kid, and even as I went to school, school, and more school -- eventually making the literary canon my professional bread and butter -- I was going home at night to read those $7.99 fantasy paperbacks that gave me so much pleasure and solace.
I suppose I have the "$7.99 paperback" to thank for what happened in 2010. You might think that isn't a lot of money, but on an academic salary, those $7.99s add up, especially if you're reading three or four books a week.
In 2010, I discovered some books were available as ebooks for a great deal less, so I bought a Kindle. Eventually I began reading indies. And that's when it came to me: maybe I could write a book.
The idea of writing a fantasy novel had always appealed to me, but the idea of getting said book published had not. All the effort, all the rejection, all the time wasted, the lack of control ... and did I mention all the rejection? It sounded awful.
But when I became aware that some authors were choosing to make their books directly available to readers, and when I realized that a lot of those books were terrific, my mind opened to the possibilities. The possibilities sounded wonderful.
So I sat down and wrote a book. I'd never had so much fun writing. Now I'm working on my second. I'm happy to say I'm hooked on fantasy in a whole new way, these days!
Congrats, Becca, on having your name and work in the spotlight!
ReplyDeleteIsn't it wonderful how the best part of your childhood stayed with you?
My fascination with the paranormal and a good mystery have been with me for as long as I can remember. And now, like yourself, I'm having a great time writing those novels!