The Story Behind the Story

That deserves a chest pound.
That's what my physical trainer said when I'd told him I'd finished writing a book. That phrase rang through my mind for quite some time.
It's true--anyone out there who's written a book, whether it's a first novel tucked away in a drawer or a NYT Best Seller, give yourself a chest pound and be proud.
Writing a book takes courage, heart, and dedication.

I finished writing Anomaly three days ago and part of me wanted to jump on the Edge and share the news, but the other part of me was very tired. I felt like the creative side of my brain had run a marathon. Anomaly is the third book I've written and you'd think that things would be easier the third time around.

Nope.

Fortunately and unfortunately, writing is a continuous learning process. It's unfortunately because the more you learn, the more you realize how little you know. The more I read. The more I learn. The more I write, the more convinced I become that the newer pages are better than the older pages.

Writing Anomaly was a journey riddled with self doubt and sickness. If it wasn't for my amazing critique partners Diane, Liz, and Clare, and thought provoking notes from an old friend, Shane, I would have stopped believing in myself and never finished the darn thing. And if there ever was an award for the human being with the most jacked up sinuses and allergies, I can assure you that I'd be a strong contender. I started writing Anomaly about four months after having sinus surgery. The surgery helped, but I still had horrible infections and headaches, after that came the giant pancake size hives. There were some days I didn't want to write, but I made myself. Eventually I got better, but then ten months later (after several rewrites and revisions) my immune system decided I needed to finish out this novel with a bang. So sick in bed with bronchitis, coughing up a storm, I penned the last words to Anomaly. It was only fitting.

There is still some polishing to do, but at least this phase is complete. Many thanks to critique partners, friends, cousins, and Sarcastically Delicious for supporting me up to this point. You guys deserve a chest pound!