One year ago

Just over a year ago, right before the inauguration of 47, I was looking for a distraction. A big one. I needed to get my mind out of a catastrophic spiral.

I knew what was coming. I have a spicy brain, and excellent pattern recognition. I also paid attention in history class. But current events are not the point of this.

My distraction is. For the first time in years, I picked up a notebook and a pen. I spent an entire weekend writing. When I say the ENTIRE weekend, I mean just that. I started around eight in the morning on Saturday, and finally closed the notebook around nine that first night.

I tossed and turned all night as my distraction started to take over my thoughts. It had already consumed my waking thoughts, but that wasn’t enough. It had to plant itself so deep in my mind, not even my half-sleeping dreams were safe.

I woke up that Sunday, grabbed my notebook, and my soon-to-be-exhausted ink pen, and dove right back in. My husband got worried about me, he noticed that I wasn’t taking breaks. My hand cramped, but I kept going.

I missed meals, and he had to remind me to eat. By late Sunday evening, he was asking me how much longer I was going to be writing. I was well into my second ink pen as the sun went down.

Sunday night, I had filled the notebook with a story. A story that would undergo hours after hours of editing, revisions, begging friends to read it and give me some feedback.

Around I think it was June, I decided I wanted to publish the book. Yeah it was a full book, along with two more in what quickly became a series.

I am in my late 40’s. I haven’t done much in the way of creative writing in years. But this story, these characters that won’t shut up, wanted to be put down on paper.

They are some insistent bastards.

As of today, what started as just a way to take my mind of what was happening, I have a six book series with the first I am self-publishing this year.

Sometimes all it takes is an idea.

Sometimes all it takes is a pen and paper.

You are never too old to do something new.