Do you remember what you daydreamed about as a twelve year old kid? I did quite a bit of day dreaming in general, creating story after story, but one of my biggest fantasies was “being an author.” I wanted to create stories and have people everywhere reading them. I can remember how much I loved books and how I’d flip through the pages and breathe in that paper scent. Times have changed quite a bit, and many people are reading on devices these days, but storytelling is still the heart of all this.

For the last few years, I have felt “so close.” I was at the tipping point. It’s right here! In my defense, I’ve never been just a dreamer. Dreaming means putting everything you have into a goal. Dreaming means knowing you will get to the point you’re aiming at. Dreaming is like “Ob portu,” or waiting for the tide to change so you can bring your ship in. Dreaming can mean a lot of work, but it’s work you love.

And dreaming is worth it. I launched my Facebook author page last March and began tracking book sales a few months later, and total downloads in December.  You could say the opportunity for me, and many other authors, came through Kindle Direct Publishing. It’s allowed us to directly reach readers. I’ve reached thousands now! I’m at 130,000 Kindle downloads and counting.

Now I can see “that point” is actually a step. There are many more above me. Every step offers me more knowledge, and more questions to lead me forward. At the same time, I think it’s perfectly okay to pause and enjoy. It’s also a time to say ‘thank you’ to all the readers who made it all possible. Thanks for being a part of my journey.

(“Romancing the Valentine Blog Hop” is previous post, click here.)