Follow Your Passion ... Now. Don't Wait!

When I was 17 years old, my family took a vacation camping on one of the islands on Lake George (NY). After we pulled up all the coolers from the boat and set up all the tents, I finally had some free time. I grabbed the book I had brought with me -- The Other Side of Midnight by Sidney Sheldon -- and I walked around a bit until I found a nice flat rock in the sun to sit on.

In my denim daisy dukes (the first time they came around) and my t-shirt, I began to read. By the time I finished the third chapter, I was enlightened. I had had what would be the most major revelation of my life.

I thought, Sidney Sheldon writes the way I think, the way I would write. This is it! This is what I want to do with my life. I want to be a novelist!

Well, I started to write poetry and short stories, but didn't begin my first novel until about 30 years later. The first draft took me a year. I had a job that wasn't difficult, and I got to go home on time every night, without putting in any overtime. That would never happen today!

After changing my clothes I would head over to my office, where I would write a couple of hours a night. A year later, I had my first draft. A friend got me in to see an agent, and she suggested that I hire a professional book editor to edit my book. She recommended a woman with 20 years experience working for one (or several) of the major publishing houses in New York City.

I took her advice and hired the editor. She wasn't cheap. I shelled out $1,000. But I feel she was worth every penny. She had my manuscript for four months. Then one day, we had a 2-hour phone meeting where she walked me through her suggestions.

I ended up spending three years re-writing and editing my book. But it wasn't the 'next' three years. Oh no. I let 14 years pass me by before I picked that book back up. I had planned to do it so many times and I just kept saying, 'there's always tomorrow'. Then one day I thought, 'you're running out of tomorrows!' And I motivated myself to finish.

Then something wonderful happened. By the time I finished the book, self-publishing through print-on-demand had been born. After all the rejections from agents and publishing houses, I decided I would no longer wait. I didn't need to wait. I would publish the book myself through Amazon.

The nice thing about Amazon is you don't pay for manufacturing -- it's print-on-demand. When someone orders a book, they print it. There's no warehousing. So they take the cost of printing out, then they take their cut, then I get my cut.

For me, it's not about how much money I make. It's about how many people believe in me and in my writing.

My advice to everyone out there is don't wait. If you have a dream, go after it now. You might have plenty of tomorrows, but they won't wait for you. They keep going. So whatever your passion is, get out and do it, today!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.

Introducing … In Fashion’s Web – My First Novel!

I am proud to announce that I have self-published my first novel on Amazon.com!

In Fashion’s Web is the story of 3 very strong, independent women. Tracey is the owner of a fashion design business. It has taken her whole life to become successful and she is finally at a point where she is being recognized for her talents. Tracey’s success is taking her to exotic places like Paris, Milan and Tokyo to build her brand. And with success comes the love she has waited so long to find.

Kara comes to Tracey Lynn Designs by way of the school of hard knocks. Once homeless, with no college education, she starts at the bottom and claws her way to the top. Meanwhile, Tracey’s niece, Allison, seems to get everything handed to her without having to put the time and effort in that makes the success so rewarding. Kara and Allison are bitter rivals.

While working hard to build her business, Tracey meets Frederico and falls deeply in love. But things are not always what they seem in business or in love. When Tracey gets caught in a struggle between her lover and a New York City crime boss, everything Tracey worked for starts to unravel. As a result, Kara and Allison are forced to work together. Can they put aside their differences to save the company from ruin? Find out when you read In Fashion’s Web.

Click here to view sample pages online at Amazon.com. In Fashion's Web is available in both print and Kindle versions. 

Happy reading!

Please check out my novel, In Fashion's Web on Amazon.