From a young age, I always enjoyed reading and writing stories. I was an avid reader, and I feel like most avid readers want to write in some way. Either they become readers or writers, or decide to juggle both. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized I wanted to write my own stories and publish them, but also work in publishing in some aspects. If I didn’t make it working on the editorial side of publishing, I still wanted to pursue writing anyway.

Back in elementary school, there were a couple of times I was published in anthologies for poems and smaller things. But my book is my baby. It was the first time I’ve ever written something full-length. I’ve done journalism writing for such a long time, but writing a novel is so much different than that. It’s kind of like you put your whole heart and self into it, and overall it’s a very personal experience.

I think for anybody wanting to be a writer, to be dedicated to making it a habit. I try to set/recommend a daily or weekly goal for myself. It’s easier said than done, and I realized this when I was writing my debut work (and my current project). When you want to write your own stories, you have to be confident in yourself. It’s hard not to listen to the nagging self-doubt, but it only motivates me to want to become a better writer. On top of practicing writing, I felt it was also helpful to read lots of different genres to get a different grasp on writing elements.

Coming from the book blogging/reading community and heading into publishing, I knew how hard is to get published and have visibility in the book market. I am grateful that now there are so many more alleyways for getting stories out there into a reader’s hands. I was fortunate enough to be able to see myself in books growing up, and I wanted to do the same for my readers. I know how important representation is, plus I wanted to write a love letter to my hometown (Detroit).

I hope that by continuing to write, readers can learn about my experiences and see themselves in my creative works. Creating a world that somebody can immerse themselves in and kind of escape from the world for a little while is my ultimate goal of being an author.