About twelve years ago, I had a secret writing dream: to become a novelist. At the time, I was working as a middle school teacher, and I barely had time to sleep, let alone write a full-length book. Plus, I had never written anything longer than a short story before—finishing a book seemed like a faraway dream. 

Despite my uncertainties, I finally got up the courage to quit my job in 2012 and began pursuing my writing dream in earnest. It was an exciting time … at first. But soon I found myself floundering. Without an MFA program to support my development or writing peers to work alongside, I felt scared and unequipped.

I remember spending full mornings—mornings I had set aside to work on my novel—Googling “writer’s block” and trying to figure out ways to overcome creative anxiety. At first, this seemed like a futile and embarrassing effort, and yet, surprisingly, I discovered wonderful advice and resources online, and with their help I eventually pulled myself out of my writing funk. 

That year, I started to write and submit in earnest for the very first time. And before long I experienced my first taste of writing success. I got two short stories published, attended two amazing writing residencies, and finished two drafts of my book. 

There have been plenty of ups and downs in my writing journey since then, but—twelve years and two novels later—I’ve now gotten a pretty good handle on what it takes to carve out a writing life. I now have a two-book deal with Thomas & Mercer and am looking forward to the release of my debut novel in October of 2024.

One of my favorite parts of my life now is sharing what I’ve learned with other writers to help them reach their writing goals much more quickly than I did. Through coaching, I can pass on the lessons I’ve learned from my own teachers and mentors, as well my own experience, and help writers begin to launch their writing lives in the way they've always dreamed of.