As I reach the conclusion of the first draft of my book, Raven Wood, I think it’s time I start to share this world and the characters I’ve created, and my thoughts and process, with those who are willing to be apart of this and experience my world with me. So, as I reach the end of my very first draft of my very first book, let’s go back to the beginning. My first draft of my book is nearly finished, and it’s this huge feat that I once believed I would never accomplish. My life is filled with books I’ve started and never finished. I had every reason as to why I couldn’t finish one. “I’m too ADD.” Or, “Oh, I’ll just put it down for now.” Or this one, and it’s my favorite, “This idea is just SO much better than that one.” Guess what? Never finished the ‘so much better’ idea either. If I’m being truthful, I don’t really know what made me settle down and actually write this book. Perhaps it’s the fact that I’m twenty-seven (soon to be twenty-eight) and this is the dream I’ve had ever since I realized I had a talent for it. Perhaps it’s because I got married to a man who was/has pursued his dreams and I realized I hadn’t yet tried for mine. Perhaps I got tired of all the failed attempts at college and decided it was now or never if I was really going to try for that dream. It was probably a little of all of that. More so the last one. Nothing screams failure like being financially unable to do school for a degree in something you weren’t even sure you wanted to do for the rest of your life. Well, I knew what I wanted, but it just wasn’t practical, but let’s be honest, where has being practical gotten me in the past? So, I threw my hands up and decided to really go for it. To truly put my all into writing a book and putting it out there in the world. To create something from pure imagination and write it out for others to maybe someday read, and if they don’t read it? That’s okay. It would be enough to know that I put myself out there. It would be enough to know that I pressed myself to finish a book. To actually accomplish something I have never done before. It’s a high that I never realized I needed or wanted to reach the end. It’s an emotional experience that I never thought would come with finishing the end. The closer I get to the end, the harder I press the pen into the paper. The closer I get to the end, the more I feel my chest constrict with a new sense of pride and exhilaration, and it’s nearly overwhelming. If you’re still with me through this sappy, drawn out story of how I got to this point then I hope you enjoyed learning a little about me. I also hope you will stick around and continue to learn about myself and the book that I will be releasing in the coming months.