Quille's Inkewell

So, I’ve recently become a published author, and had my first interview. On the radio!

The past few months have been a rollercoaster!

Just graduating high school in May this year, I’ve had the chance to accomplish several of my dreams. I got lost in the woods (not quite a dream, per say), went rock climbing, rode my first horse… And I published my first novel.

Elfboy is the first book in The Pizza Shop Chronicles, a series about elves–a few of whom live in and around the rural Kentucky town of Orangeboro. One is a high school principal, and two of them work in the town’s local pizza shop, wherein is hid a portal to their home world.

When I first started writing the book a year ago, the idea made me so nervous that I didn’t even tell anyone about it until the project was well underway. I mean, a book about an elf prince who works in a pizza shop? Maybe it just wasn’t a good idea. It was “creative” to say the least, crazy if you wanted to say more.

But here was a chance to try something different, and maybe even hit popular level with readers while doing it.

So, I took that chance.

That November, I had another chance. The chance to enter an excerpt of my book in an online writing community’s contest. I entered the first chapter… And I didn’t win. But I did gain extreme popularity with my piece, deciding to publish more of the book in short installments almost daily. The following I gained through it was amazing. Most of the people I worked with on that site gained their followers through hosting contests, or doing community stunts. But I was able to make a name on my writing alone. That was huge for me.

Huge. The readers started nicknaming my characters and a couple called me “The Cliffhanger Queen”. The feedback I received was amazing! I can’t be thankful enough for all the wonderful people I met and their awesome support.

I am sorry to say that I left them on the biggest cliffhanger of my book, since I was unable to publish the whole thing there… That was kinda mean.

After that, it was edit, edit, and edit. My mom edited it again, and we were ready to publish, which we ended up doing while I’m on an extended stay with my sister (enter getting lost in the woods and rock climbing). We communicated through email… A couple times I got really confused, but we eventually did it and the book was out!

I did a free promotion, mostly on Twitter, but also with my friends in the previously mentioned writing community. And my book made #13 on the Christian Fantasy best-seller list! I was ever more and more amazed as people downloaded and read the book. I didn’t get a lot of reviews, but I got a lot of awesome feedback through comments and messages. One person even told me that Chapter 9 was CRAZY! (Yes, they used all-caps 🙂

And, I’m fine with crazy now. Especially after the radio interview.

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, we have a local radio show that my whole family has listened to as long as I can remember. The Saturday Light Brigade, the way to get your weekend off to a great start, hosted by the awesome Larry Burger and his wife, Rikki.

I haven’t told a lot of people, but ever since I was little, I’ve daydreamed about being featured on that show, actually getting to go to the studio and everything.

Guess what? That really happened. Just a few days ago! Last Saturday, one of my dreams came true.

And I was so nervous that I forgot to breathe a couple times during reading, and I forgot what to say when I was answering questions… The whole bit. The best consolation with how bad I did is that it was my very first time, and that’s not a great excuse.

It was hella fun though. Lots of fun. And I learned a lot too. I learned that I need to remember to breathe, and if you sit perfectly straight, you’re going to be uncomfortable.

Relaxing is a highly under-appreciated and under-practiced art. Not just sit lounging around relaxing. I mean relaxing in a tense situation, remembering to keep your shoulders loose and forgetting that fake smile. Smile for real and let everyone see it.

I’m not scheduled for another interview anytime soon (that I know of) and probably not publishing another book for a few months, but I think I can do better. You know how you can win experience or “xp” in a video game? I think I just won some.

I definitely encourage you to do the same. Get your crazy ideas out there! Do stuff you’re afraid to do! Put yourself out there and have an amazing, crazy, awesome life that’s scarier than any rollercoaster!

And never regret messing up. Never.

🙂

Awesome book is –> here.

And the amazingly fun interview is –> here.

Thanks for the read! Let me know if I’m getting better at this whole blog-thing 😛