Have you ever had a dream that felt so real it was more like a memory? Except it can’t possibly have happened? I’ve been having a lot of those lately.
One was sitting on stage. Nice rounded comfy chair. Holding a microphone and answering questions about my book. And out in front of me was this massive room full of torchlights. A crowd of recording people. That one makes sense. Every Author probably has that dream. The one where they make it. Where people care about their characters as much as they do. Where their imagination becomes someone’s daydream.
But my latest one, seemed more … focused.
I was having coffee with an author, I won’t name her but we sort of right the same genre, mines just darker. We were sitting on her terrace. Bright warm sun streaming down while we drank coffee and chatted about nothing really. Then she gets so excited and says, “Oh my God I need to show you something.” So I follow her into the house to her chaotic mess of an office. I’m talking like sheets of paper everywhere, sticky notes, and in the middle of it, a laptop. She opens up her work and I, like the reader I am, cover my eyes.
She laughs asking, “What’s wrong?”
And I laugh back, still not peeking and say, “You’re a plotter and I don’t want spoilers!”
There was something absolutely normal about it. Something real. And to be honest guys, her excited little laugh of all knowing heartbreak is actually kind of adorable. That’s how you know the book will leave a lasting impression.
I live life with a certain level of certainty. An absence of doubt. It’s not a cocky ‘Of course I’ll make it’ sort of arrogance. Just that quiet alignment. The one that settles in your soul and you just know you’re where you’re supposed to be.
I’ve spent a lot of my life lost. Searching. For something bigger than me. For a way to interact with the world. To make an impression. One that lasts.
From policing to the army, I never thought books would be the way I did it. My imagination. A chaotic collection of interwoven pieces that don’t make sense until you have the whole. Characters you can relate to. Struggles you’ll find in real life. Fantasy with a touch of reality.
That’s who I am.
And you know what? That’s impact I can forever be proud of.
Excellent message as always. So proud of you!