| Today I'd like to welcome Allie Jean to my blog as part of the Blogger Book Fair. Don't forget to visit her links and check out her books once you've read her post. |
Taking
That Step
By
Allie Jean
When I was little, I had a hobby. I created elaborate stories. I even had my sisters act them out for friends and neighbors in small plays in our front yard. They’d all call me bossy (still do sometimes) but when it came to my characters, everything had to be as I saw it in my mind.
Later in life, my story telling took on a little
different avenue. Instead of writing my own tales, my mind would continue the
stories of some of my favorite books. Let’s face it; no one likes it when a
cherished series comes to an end.
My family and I lost a son in 2009. In the
aftermath, I felt myself falling into a depression. The what-ifs and self-doubt
dug a huge hole that I didn’t know if I could climb out of. Writing became my
saving grace.
Instead of internalizing all of the emotions
circling through my heart, I focused them into my characters, starting the
first chapters of my Dreamer series. It had been an idea I’d been sitting on
for a while, and the tragedy of loss propelled me into it.
Through my hobby of writing, I’d met a group of
girlfriends who became my support. They challenged me and were my biggest fans.
One of them heard of a writing contest offered through The Writer’s Coffee
Shop
called the Original Romance Contest. The winner would be offered a publishing
contract through the house, and my friends encouraged me to enter.
The moments leading up to the announcement were some
of the most excruciating I could remember. First of all, my family had no clue
that I wrote at all, let alone that I had entered a contest. I seem to recall
my husband thinking I’d finally jumped off the deep end when I told him about
it. Yet I’d taken that step, that leap, and finally put myself out there for
the judgment of others. Nail biting my way through two manicures, I awaited the
results.
Now, part of me knew that there was probably a very
slim chance that I’d done anything but reveal myself as a secret writer to my
family, having failed at obtaining that coveted contract. But when the email
came in that they wanted my manuscript I was elated. Over the moon!
My road to publication may be a bit unconventional,
but I think there is a moral to my story. To all of those writers out there,
secret and screaming in the streets: Don’t Stop Writing!!!! Keep your characters
alive, even if it’s just for a small audience. Don’t give up and put yourself
out there. I love to write and getting the opportunity to put my stories out
there has been a blessing.
Plus, my kids think it’s really cool.
Chantal Breelan’s past is a mystery, and her future is even more uncertain. She can’t recall why she had been taken from her parents, leaving an empty hole where her childhood should have been. When she awakens from her nightmares, she’s left with terrible, violent images and believes something may have happened to her that her mind tries to forget. One night at a subway station, Chantal meets a young boy who flees to a dark subway tunnel, and she’s compelled to follow him. But this Rabbit Hole reveals a world where reality is everything her nightmares have been forewarning.
Mathias is a descendant of an ancient being and beholden to wage an unfathomable war against an primordial evil, spawned by greed and spite. A powerful fighter, he and his brethren of Warriors vow guard the most precious, piercing light against the darkness – the females of their kind. The Warriors' pledge is to find and protect their sisters and kin. Long have they fought, shedding sweat and blood, hoping that their struggles are not in vain. Yet in his sacrifice and service he may find life’s ultimate reward – a love to surpass all time.
Dreams of the Cursed (Dreamer #2)
A violent war has waged in secret underneath the notice of humanity since the beginning of time. Evil has pledged the destruction of humanity in spite of a power those that covet it could not possibly contain. Now, The Warriors have inherited this fight and are honor bound to rid the world of this ancient malevolence. By guarding the most precious, piercing light they possess – their female kin known as the Oracles – the Warriors have a chance against the darkness.
Chantal Breelan has suffered from horrific nightmares for most of her life, believing something to be wrong with her to have such visions of destruction. But when creatures of terror came crawling out of the shadows to hunt her down shortly after her eighteenth birthday, she discovered the truth. Her dreams became reality, throwing her head first into a battle wrought by cursed monsters, where death and torture lie at every turn.
Mathias is a descendant of a Fallen Angel and a powerful Warrior. He vows his life in service to pay recompense for the sins of their fathers by guarding Chantal from within the shadows. With Chantal’s life in danger, he’d been forced to reveal himself, yet she had managed to surprise him with her fierce tenacity and strength.
Now, Chantal has picked up the reigns of her birthright and stands by her Warrior kin, by Mathias. She’s on a mission to rescue others like herself. Yet in this challenge a battle of wits is exposed. New players are discovered, throwing strategies into question. When the truth comes to light, can Chantal hold her band of brothers together, or will they crumble under the weight of betrayal?
 Allie Jean was born with an overactive imagination. She spent her childhood inventing stories and telling tales. Her mind never shut down, even while she slept. Vivid dreams containing extensive, elaborate plot lines of good overcoming evil villains captured her nightly visions, lingering into her waking hours and filling the pages of her well-loved bounded diaries. She was encouraged by her parents, even at a young age, to write down her tales, and it has remained a somewhat secret hobby. As a busy wife, mother and critical care nurse, Allie’s love of storytelling has been reborn through the adventures of her unforgettable characters. |
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Very sad that you lost a son, but I am glad you found an outlet and support in your writing.
ReplyDeleteIt's a bonus that your kids think its cool :)