Why the heck not

I told everyone I would be doing a daily log on my writing experiences, but I thought I better start at the very beginning. Why in the heck would I want to write? What got me started in the first place ... Like I said in the title, "Why the heck not".
Really though. I have always found myself dabbling with words in a journal, or just writing thoughts down. One of the ways for me to communicate my true feelings was to write a note. I could pour my heart out when I put it in writing. I'm not sure why I never had the ability to verbalize my true emotions, but for me that's how it was. If my best friend hurt my feelings, because she admitted she liked Billy, but knew I did first ... well, then I'd let her have it through a serious note chewing.

After adolescent years, verbalizing got better, but writing was still a strong way for me to communicate. When things heated up to a boiling point, I got out a pen.

I tend to be a fairly private person and me sitting down to tell the whole world is a big thing. Writing a fiction story with fictitious characters is one thing, but opening up and letting people into my world is a whole different matter, but I want you to know. I want you to know what drives me to keep typing away at my keyboard every morning. Why I keep writing stories.

I was home schooled from seventh grade on due to illness. I had months of lying on the couch too weak to hold up my own spoon. My mother stayed at home with me and cared for me daily. Not that this was a bad deal for me then, but my mom would sit and do my homework with me. When I say my mom sat with me, I should actually say, she read me the questions and then filled in my worksheets for me. I couldn't hold up a pen. Like i said ... not a bad deal for me. She was the one doing all of the work. My reading assignments, she actually read all the books out loud to me. I'll never forget "The Hound of the Baskerville". I think that might have been the first book I actually read in its entirety... and that's because I was just doing the listening. Even though I was sick and weak, I still had big dreams.

Finally, getting strong enough to move from the couch a few hours at a time, I started hanging with the wrong crowd. I had way too much time on my hands. Needless to say I got pregnant at sixteen. Talk about a motivator. I knew I needed to support my rugrat, so at seventeen I started cosmetology school. Of course I had my bumps. I still hung with the wrong crowd, and no one believed in me becoming anything other than a statistic, but I was determined and I was seriously trying to better myself and get a life skill.

How about we just fast forward a few years, let's say five. When my third child was born. I was a licensed/working Cosmetologist and Massage Therapist. I had my own Massage practice and worked at a local salon. One evening I was reading a story to one of my kids and an idea for a story of my own popped into my head. After tucking in my babies, I started jotting little notes. Over the next fourteen years, I had added and added to it, so my idea of a little kids picture book was no longer a little kids picture book. It was a full sized novel. But what the heck now?

I had no idea what I was supposed to do. Editors, agents, publishing companies and who knew what else. I sat on it. Actually, I'm still sitting on it. But ... out of the blue, who knew ... I had my best friend over for dinner one night. It had been a while, since she had been traipsing all over the USA. We got to talking about what she was doing with her band management, and my book came up. She looked at me and said "you do realize I am a literary agent. That's what I do." I was a bit dumbfounded, yet excited too. This was the first person that gave me a glimmer of hope into another world. I asked her loads of questions. Some she helped with others not so much, but I found energy again. I gave her my manuscript and waited to hear from her.

As I waited for her, impatiently, I started on my novel Never Again. I had read Fifty Shades of Grey and thought how hard could it be to write an Erotic Romance novel? Once my girlfriend contacted me again, she gave me a name of an editor to contact. Immediately, I sent him a message. I wanted to get this ball rolling. I was in the groove. When I contacted him, I originally had my YA Fantasy in mind when we spoke. He had asked me what books I was working on and I told him My Fantasy and of course my naughty book. He wanted to look at my naughty book. I was a little upset, because I put so much heart and effort into my Young Adult book, but I sent him my other book instead. After some coaching and rewrite after rewrite, I had another Editor help finish the book. And low and behold ... that book is published. I will get into that process tomorrow so those of you who are newbies and self-publishing can get in on some of the know hows. I just wanted to get a little back story, so people could get a feel for me and my passion to write. I will add more and more and give some tips on different matters that I have bumped into along the way.
I hope everyone has a wonderful day.

RJ Heaton