I get asked often why I started writing. The short answer is that I needed an escape. The long answer…
When I was fifteen I was hit by a truck. I went from dancing, riding horses and taking long walks to being on crutches, then stuck in a wheelchair. I had to learn to walk again. I had to learn to do a lot of things again.
The damage from that accident is still with me to this day. I need muscle relaxers around the clock to be able to put weight on my right leg. I will eventually need a total knee replacement and possibly a shoulder replacement or another revision surgery, maybe both (I have already had two surgeries on my knee and one on my shoulder).
To escape the pain, both physical and mental, I read a lot and I immersed myself in only text-based RP. Specifically AOL’s create your own chat room groups. I was part of a guild and played a slutty vampire with a penchant for drama. Between that and the discovery of the LOTR movies… I began writing.
My first book (which was terrible) was a background for Katherine, my vampire queen-cum-assassin. I eventually wrote other stories that I shared with my friends and made-up fantastical tales to keep them entertained. My high school years were filled with a lot of pain, a lot of terrible things happened to me. But I found a sort of peace in telling stories to my friends, in building words for them to get lost in.
My twenties were filled with highs and lows as well. I was diagnosed with two of the three autoimmune diseases that I now have. I got married, then divorced (the less said about that, the better).
Then… I married my best friend, who I met on World of Warcraft. For five years we were platonic buddies, questing around Azeroth. After my divorce things changed rapidly. We met in person, I moved across the country and we got married just a few months later. He took my oldest son into his heart as his own.
Two more kiddos followed and the hubs (who I call the Commander online) adopted my oldest. Our early years were chaotic with military underways, two more cross-country moves, and an eighteen-month deployment. A few months before we moved back to Texas and he deployed I had an emergency hysterectomy. It was a lot to deal with in a short amount of time.
From the Ashes was rewritten from memory while the Commander was in Japan. I was home alone with three kids ranging from two to fourteen. They each had a birthday without Dad and many other milestones. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease. My youngest, who suffered from insomnia, didn’t sleep for what seemed like months. My middle was diagnosed with Autism and my oldest went through a series of health and neurodivergent issues.
It was a hard year and a half.
The Commander retired in January 2020 and we all know what 2020 was like. Our family faced hardships besides the Pandemic but we are stronger than ever.
Between March 2021 and December 2022 I released five full length novels and the Companion (which is as long as most novels) that had three short stories and three novellas along with a lot of information about the series.
The pace—and other events—as well as a rapid decline in my health broke me. I barely wrote for almost a year and a half. I managed to get out two novellas and a novel between January 2024 and March 2025 and started on another book. Then new medical treatments sidelined me again.
Often indie authors are told to write as fast as you can, to rapid release. I listened to this at the start of my career. I think that it works for some… but I have spoken to many authors and many who have done this burned out at some point or another.
I did.
I finally had build a system that works for the body I HAVE not the body I wish I had.
I also finally did what I have always done for my kids. I advocated for myself, for my mental health. I got tested for ADHD (and was diagnosed on my 41st birthday!). I have spoken with my doctors and found treatment plans that give me a better quality of life. I let those around me know when I need help and I am getting better about not feeling guilty when I accept it.
By tracking my spoons, pain level and the time that authory tasks take me, I am managing my time better and making sure I don’t out pace my spoons (if you don’t know spoon theory, Google it!).
In doing all of that… I am writing more (and better IMO) than I have in a very long time. I am 23K into my current project and have almost 48K across three other projects in my queue. Compared to some authors… it isn’t a lot but the most important thing I have learned in the past year is to stop comparing myself to others.
This is my journey, my body… my life and I have to do it MY WAY.
If you have ever felt like you are alone in dealing with chronic health issues, being neurospicy… or just being different… know that I see you.