Don't Give Up

Photo Credit: Rosie Kerr

“We all are given opportunities at every turn to examine our beliefs, stories and expectations, of what we can and can’t do.” ~ Lynda Faye Schmidt, The Crow Musings blog

This year my mantra is anything is possible. Today’s blog is for all my readers who are writers, and also for those with a story they want to tell, but are afraid, or just don’t know where to start. I want to encourage writers at all different junctions on the journey—the dreamers, the emergers, and even the established writers who still have moments of self-doubt once in a while.

I don’t claim to have all the answers. I’m not a self-professed guru. I don’t have any influencers endorsing my talents as a writer. Clearly, what I can’t do, is tell you what to do! What I can do is share my journey, including the bumps along the way, the learning points, and the successes. Then you can choose what, if anything, dear reader, has you examining your beliefs, stories, and expectations, of what might be possible for you to achieve.

The Bumps…

There have been a lot of small bumps and a few outright massive mistakes on my journey as an author. The most significant that immediately comes to mind is my decision to publish The Healing. To be clear, the experience I had with OC Publishing was not a bump—it was a success and I have only positive things to say about the process of working in partnership with Anne O’Connell.  I’m talking about my choice to write The Healing as the story of Cate Henderson, hiding like a coward behind a character, too afraid to claim a story that was mine. That was a colossal error in judgment.

I wrote The Healing with the best of intentions. I wanted to inspire other women in abusive situations to find the courage to leave. I wanted to shed light on how abusers manipulate, control, and isolate their victims. But mostly, I yearned with all my soul for my own healing to take root and never come undone. To tell the story of my past so I could let it go so completely, it wouldn’t have the power to hurt me anymore. That was misguided too.

I never imagined for one second that my words on paper would cause harm to people I love. I was unable to see past the veil of my own pain, of what I needed, to see them and what they needed. I thought the clear likenesses of my characters to real people in my life only celebrated who they are as I see them. I thought they would be happy to see how they influenced my creativity. I thought they would support me. But how could they, when I shared such personal things? When the words I released into the world made them feel unsafe? For this I am so sorry. For this, I pray for their forgiveness and compassion. I didn’t know. I wasn’t aware.

From the space of awareness I have now, I no longer wish to promote The Healing, The Holding, and The Companion Journal. I can’t go back in time and change the past, but I can learn from my mistakes. I have learned. I’m proud of The Rogue Scorpion, and my upcoming novel, The Trials of Alex Anderson, and I’m going to do my best to make them a success. Which brings me to the learning points on my long journey of patience and determination to find a publisher.

The Learning Points…

The first skill I had to build was my perseverance. I had to learn how to manage my emotional responses and not take rejections personally. That was challenging, because I care what other people think, I’m a highly emotional and sensitive person, and my writing is personal! I reframed every rejection as valuable information, then worked harder to research more publishers, to read their submission guidelines carefully, and then submit— again and again and again.

Another learning point was that The Trials Of Alex Anderson was not as polished as it needed to be. I’d thought that going through my thirteen-bullet editing worksheet eight times, having my Eagle Eyes Editor (Mister) read for spelling and grammar, and paying a professional editor to review my twenty-page sample was enough. It wasn’t. I had to invest more time, effort, and money to polish it to such a huge shine it would catch someone’s attention. I took advantage of the Manitoba Writers’ Guild Beta Reader Program and used the feedback to complete another massive developmental and content edit.

The Successes….

I believe that the diligence I applied to polish my manuscript was one of the reasons Austin Macauley offered me a publishing contract, but it wasn’t the only one. After all, writing, like all art, is subjective. I believe that my decision to use the same diligence to polish the other elements of my submission package played a role. I had created a snappy pitch that I was very happy with, but my synopsis and author bio weren’t as engaging. With each query, I edited and revised, cut some things, added others, doing my best to produce my best work.

From my perspective, the biggest success I achieved during the long, hard journey of finding a publisher was to make the choice to never give up on my dreams. I decided if I was going to work this hard, I needed the fuel of my heart’s desires. That meant not settling or compromising. That meant not listening to naysayers, following a different path, or changing directions when other people suggested their ways were better, that their ideas were right and mine were wrong, that there was only way to do this. On that point, I suppose I do agree. There is only one way to do this—my way. Because after all, The Trials of Alex Anderson is my story.

So there you have it, dear reader. Whether you’re a writer, or a dreamer of another kind entirely, my parting words to you are the same I said to myself. Don’t give up. Do it your way. Whatever your dreams and desires look like. There is only one you, with this one precious life to live.

 COMING UP…

Books & Projects:

·      In December 2025 I signed a contract with Austin Macauley Publishers for my manuscript, The Trials of Alex Anderson, a character-driven novel that explores the relationship between mental illness and trauma.  I am now on the road to publication, with an expected release date near the end of 2026. I’ll be posting regular updates here on  my blog and on social media, so stay tuned for exciting new developments.

·      The Rogue Scorpion is available online at Amazon, Chapters-Indigo, and Barnes & Noble. You can also find it at select Chapters-Indigo and El Hombre de la Mancha bookstores.

Reviews & Interviews:

·      You can read, listen, or watch a large selection of reviews and interviews on my website.

Events:

·      There are no events currently scheduled in my calendar.

YouTube Channel:

·      Watch The Rogue Scorpion trailer.