Sometimes Dreams Come True When You Believe in Yourself

Ten years ago my short stories were getting published. That was part of my lifelong dream... Of course, I was separated and about to get divorced, at the lowest point in my life. As my marriage was coming to an end, I’d dusted off the stories and novels I’d written and rewritten over the years, deciding I didn’t care about getting rejection letters anymore. I sent them out... and my short stories weren't all being rejected. A lot of them were being published.

I'd dreamed of being a science fiction and fantasy author since I was a teenager. I loved reading and loved stories of dragons, wizards, and space battles, of course. By the time I started college, I’d begun writing my own stories. And, I kept writing, but after years of rejected stories, I only wrote for myself. At least, I did until I got married. Then my focus was on earning a good living and providing for my family… but not writing the stories that were in me, that was killing me inside.

During my separation I started going to science fiction conventions. I even went to a writers’ conference, where I learned about the business of being a genre writer. In another six months it will be the anniversary of getting my first book contract, well, two book contracts almost on the same day from two different small press publishers for two different projects.

I don’t know how life flips like that… but when you don’t give up sometimes the universe or fate smiles on you. Months later, I was holding my first novel, Highmage’s Plight, in my hands. I’d written the first draft of that book while I was in college—and kept rewriting it, honing the manuscript. The other book was a collection of my short stories by the publisher of the ezine that had published them. It was in print later the same month that Highmage’s Plight came out.

A couple of months later I was at my first book festival, sharing a booth, selling those books. I’ve been working to promote my books, now twenty-one of them, ever since.

Why I’m sharing this is that I believe you shouldn’t give up on your dreams—and sometime those dreams come true. I’m a member of SWFA, the association of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America, I’m proud of that… and over the past year—a difficult one for us all, I’ve continued to write.

I have two free novellas this month: Apocalypse Knot, prequel to Bigfoot in Not Your Friend, and Last Knight, prequel to Knight of the Broken Table. They are featured in the group promo High Summer: August Fantasy & Science Fiction Giveaway. Check it out!

Dare to Believe,

D.H.