Have you ever wondered how an author started their books? Have you wondered if an author questioned writing a certain scene? I know I have. I have shared bits and pieces of my writing here with you. Not everything mind you. I wouldn’t want to spoil the book for you all. Still, I’m excited to share my writing journey with you! So here’s where it all began.

The Love of Reading

My mother instilled a love for stories from when I was quite young. In fact, she told me I could turn individual pages before I could walk. Of course, my love for books didn’t stop at page turning. As I grew up, I devoured books at a high reading level, often placing first in AR testing competitions to the point I struggled to find new books to read in my elementary school library.

The small town in Wyoming I grew up in offered little to do, so I spent my days fighting dragons and crushing evildoers, at least in my daydreams. As much as I enjoyed walking and dreaming, I didn’t believe I could turn those fantasies into writing. I left them behind, growing up to face real-world expectations. But I never left my love for stories behind.

I had many creative hobbies. I dabbled in drawing and watercolor painting but through it all, I stuck with crochet. Through each project, I crafted many stories about the subject of my project without sharing them until the fall of 2023. I took a job with time to daydream. The targets: two small crochet dragons made up of scrap yarn.

From Imagination to Writing

I showed these small critters to a friend, also my coworker, and we started talking about names and who they might be in a fantasy world. I started writing what I thought to be a cute short story. Instead, I created an entire world. 

I considered publishing it, but only if I wrote a long enough story. 5,000 words turned to 30,000. I moved my story from a notebook to an online document. Through several rounds of editing and self doubt, I wrote a full-length novel covering a third of the original story line.

In the spring of 2025, I had a crisis. Despite knowing the next steps to get my book published, I didn’t know if I could do it. I did something I hadn’t done yet. I ask God if I should pursue this writing hobby. He said yes. Even with His confirmation, I continued to struggle. Friends and family, who I trusted, gave me honest feedback. I wanted a professional to edit my book, but I could only afford for her to edit my query letter. With my query letter ready, I panicked. I spent the summer of 2025 ignoring all my writing. 

In the fall of 2025, God broke through some of my fears. I returned to look at my writing and put it through yet another round of editing, crafting a much better beginning. Hiding behind the editing, I didn’t send out any book queries. 

Over Christmas vacation, I joined a book club my mother invited me to. The goal: listening to the voice of God. During this time, God confronted my fears and the lies I believed about myself. I sent out my first round of queries. Thus started the waiting game.

From Personal to Professional

God continued to work even in the waiting. My mom sent me a link to a writing contest, one for unpublished works. I didn’t think my work would qualify. God told me to do it. I did. The job I took back in 2023 hit a rough patch and I asked God what he wanted me to do. He told me to write. I told him I was. He told me to start a blog. I told him that was my mother’s thing not mine. He told me to make one anyway, and since he knows a lot more than I do, I did.

So come and join me in my world of fantasy, where my imaginary friends have taken on a life of their own. Don’t forget to say hello to the two dragons who started it all, Bubbles and Candy. To the adventures of Astritala!

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