On November 3, 2010, my very first novel ever was officially published.

Corruptor was a YA story which told the story of a young girl trapped within a virtual reality video game with friends and enemies alike trying to find their way out while being held hostage. It did okay but interest in it waned as the years rolled on and no sequel came out… until 2017, when it was re-issued by Anticipation Press. The sequel, Devastator, came out shortly after, but once again interest just wasn’t there.

It’s nobody’s fault there wasn’t a lot of interest the second time around, really. The Young Adult market is tough to make a success in, despite appearances. Plus, I was writing true YA science fiction. Unless you’re an established author, it’s a tough go of it.

But that’s not what I’m focusing on today. I’m focusing on the number nine. Nine years, 37 short stories, novellas, and novels published since, with 5 more on the way in the coming months. That’s… a lot, all things considered. It would be higher but I suffered from a chronic case of the “meh’s”. There was a lot going on in my life which distracted me and caused me to second guess this whole writing thing.

I’m learning, albeit slowly because I’m stubborn, that one has to put something down on paper daily. Or in my case, type something out on the laptop. Every day I claim to have to work, I need to remind myself this is work. Treat it like a job and it becomes routine to simply sit down and write.

Being a writer isn’t easy, but it is only as difficult as you make it.