Last time I sat down to write a blog, I was celebrating the release of my fifth book. That felt serial. Now, I am excited about the forthcoming release of book number six.
Yeah, that is truly bizarre,
Four years ago, I was very much of the mind that 'writing was what other people do'. I was not good enough, I didn't have (and still don't have) any writing qualifications, and told myself it was a waste of time thinking about it. It just wasn't my path.
Honestly, I think I have always had stories running through my head and I just thought of them as escapism—amusements of the lonely, introverted eccentric. I don't think I was wrong. Not entirely, anyway. However, what I then saw as slightly odd musings, I now realise are blessings. Voices of worlds, characters, and narratives that are waiting to be told—and hopefully shared.
The fear of rejection, failure, and generally missing the point hasn't gone away, yet what I have gained is far greater. I have found bookish friends. I have readers who enjoy, identify, and escape to my worlds. The wonder of that never gets old.
So, I am planning to release my next book, In the Name of the Flame, my first epic fantasy, on the 20th October 2024. This is a special date for me because it marks four years since that I stopped saying, 'I cannot.' and I listened to the voice, the voice of Maia, the protagonist in my debut novel, The Minority Rule. She nagged at me for two years or more before I listened, but on 20th October 2020, I started a file on my phone and she filled in the gaps. I haven't once regretted it.
Sure, writing, editing, publishing, and marketing all have steep learning curves, but first I tell myself a story. Second, I hope to tell someone else...then someone else. And so it continues.
Are you, Dear Reader, the next?
I hope so.
Here's to listening to the voices within and escaping to new worlds, whilst still trying to make sense and order of this one.
In the Name of the Flame,
Alexia x
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