Wow! I would never
have dreamed in my wildest dreams that this would happen! Around this
time last year I made the decision to stop messing around and take my
writing seriously. I mentally prepared myself for a long, long road
to publication. My mind cannot even begin to grasp all that is
happening now!
This past January I
joined Harlequin's writing community. It was in the Work-In-Progress
Care Group that I met an amazing group of women who showed me the
ropes and encouraged me along the way. Like a sponge, I absorbed
every tip and took notes in every online class or chat. I wanted to
learn all that I possibly could to enhance my craft. I still have a
lot to learn, but as someone who considers herself a life-long
student, I'm looking forward to the lessons to come.
The
morning of March 6th
a friend reminded me that it was Andy's birthday. It was the first
time in sixteen years that I forgotten his birthday. It was a good
feeling. It proved I had finally healed, finally moved on. I sat back
and thought about it and how he would have been thirty-three. I tried
to imagine what life would have been like if he had lived. That's the
moment If Only was
born.
There
will be some that say this is just beginner's luck. Maybe it is.
Maybe it isn't. Time will tell. But the one thing I am sure of is
that my life has been leading up to this. If Only would
never have had as much of an impact if I had not gone through what I
did fifteen years ago.
Each
experience I've had, every heartbreak, every loss, every moment of
pure joy will be put to use to better me as a writer. God had a
purpose for all of it, and I believe this
is it.
I want to thank
each and everyone of you who took the time to vote, share, and read
my manuscript! I may have made it to the top ten with my story, but
you were the ones who took me the rest of the way. I cannot thank you
enough!
I only planned on
getting my feet wet this year, but God decided it was time to swim
the ocean. So here I go!
“Now all glory to God, who is
able, through His mighty power at work within us, to accomplish
infinitely more than we might ask or think.” --Eph. 3:20
