I’m so excited by Amazon’s new series feature. And sitting here, viewing my books on their site, on the first day of a new year, I’m a wee bit teary-eyed.
I still remember, as an eleven-year-old, scouring the library shelves at school for the latest Black Stallion and or Nancy Drew book, and later, in my bedroom at night, having read the story, holding it and gazing up at the shadows cast on my ceiling by the carport light and telling myself that I was going to be an author, too. That I, Debbie, was going to one day entertain, and hopefully inspire, readers like my favourite authors did me.
I haven’t achieved near the fandom or fame those writers did – and still enjoy despite being dead – but I did follow through on my eleven-year-old promise to my adult self. I’m an author.
I’m an author because no matter what life threw at me, I held on to the dream. More importantly, I kept working towards the dream. I wrote, attended conferences, asked questions, read, wrote, revised, took breaks when family life or physical health required it, and along the way I made dozens and dozens of mistakes. I’m still making mistakes – and doing my best to resolve and remediate them as I go along.
Have I made it big? Hell no. I’ve spent more than I’ve made to get this far. I have no idea when or if I’ll turn a profit. What I do know, is that I fulfilled a dream, and there really is no price that can be put on that feeling.
Whatever your dream is, my friend, keep working towards it. Don’t give up on it – don’t give up on yourself. Keep the promise you made to your eleven or thirty-five-year-old self and do something today that moves you a little closer to your dream. Whatever you do, don’t weigh your accomplishments against someone else’s in the same dream realm. Measure your success by how it feels to see your dream realized, on your terms, through your trials and tribulations – through your heart, and your values. No one else’s.
Be well my friends. And may 2021 be your year to realize a long-held and cherished dream. <3
