From Zero to Six in Four Years

It feels like it was only yesterday that I had zero books published.

I spent much of my life wanting to publish and feeling convinced that I was not ready to publish. That changed in 2021. And now, in 2025, I have six books published. If this sounds really fast or surprising to you, multiply that by ten, and that’s how surprising it sounds to me.

My mother-in-law very charmingly said, “I didn’t know you were going to be as prolific as Stephen King.”
Neither did I, but then again, I can understand how it happened.

You know how they say you need to give yourself permission? It’s the truth.

In 2021, after many years of holding back, searching for that perfect agent (or any agent at all, to be honest), I finally gave myself permission. To share my work. To put it out there. To take the risk.

At the same time, a lot of things in the self-publishing world had happened that encouraged me to take matters into my own hands. The technology to self-publish in a reasonable, more affordable manner had been created, for one, and a public that was willing to venture beyond the traditional publishers’ offerings had arrived, for another.

The scene was set. The option, clear.

The more I thought about agents and editors and the lagging time frame and possible rewrites they would want me to make to suit their vision for my book (should I land one of them), the more I liked the idea of becoming a self-publisher and making all of the decisions.

But I was afraid to make the leap. I had several reservations, for sure. The biggest was, How hard is it to produce something worthy? Can I handle it? Is it possible for someone who has never published to publish a quality product?

Everything is possible. And now I’m very comfortable with that responsibility.

After being held back for so many years, the floodgates opened.

It turns out, I never needed anyone’s permission but my own. And neither do you.
 
I write because I absolutely love to write. Self-publishing is hard work, for sure, but it’s true that when you love to do something, you just have to do it. It isn’t a question. You must give yourself permission to put in the time, energy, and funds that are necessary to get the job done.
 
Will I try to write two books a year, or maybe become one of those people who churns out a new manuscript every two or three months? Two books a year is possible for me, but not more. I’m struggling to find balance as it is! (Click for blog post here.)
 
Honestly, I take it one book at a time. I see how it goes. When the book is ready, it’s ready. Then I move on to the next one. A couple of years ago, I tried to write two simultaneously novels and quickly learned that that is not something I can handle or want to do. Too hard and stressful!

I've become a published author, and it was possible only because I gave myself permission. Whatever your plans, goals, or dreams, you should give yourself permission too.
 
Thank you all so much for your interest and support, and thank you for coming along on my self-publishing journey!