I’m not your typical introverted author. I love going out and connecting with my readers and other writers. Writing isn’t some internal need that’s more about personal issues than who ends up reading my shit. Sure, we all have issues, but if I only wrote for ME then I’d just have a journal.

Being an author is more than that. It’s about translating thoughts into something relatable. I don’t necessarily have a specific audience in mind when I sit down to sort out my stories, but they are a part of the process.

Writing for younger audiences is the most rewarding experience. People talk about how “kids nowadays” are too selfish and obsessed with technology. I was invited to speak at a local high school event and found the students to be attentive and polite. They listened and allowed me to ramble on about my passion for words. You can’t always reach everyone, but being involved in the community is very important to me.

This was the 3rd annual All-Write Festival where the Webster Groves High School invites writers, musicians, filmmakers, and other influential people to come lay it out for the teens. It was awesome!

I have no trouble getting onstage (thanks to my old musician and theatre kid days), but I do consider it a HUGE responsibility to give everyone I speak with as much encouragement and insight as I can. Writing is just like any other profession, it’s WORK. I often fear that I romanticize it far too much.

There is a bit of magick in sharing words. I love what I do, even though there are days where I want to quit. (I was in one of those “why do I do this to myself” moods just yesterday) But you get addicted to publishing. I crave the conversations that my stories open up. The different perceptions I encounter astound me.

One of the students (who I was not able to meet and must track down) painted this for me.

Damn. I often feel as if I don’t deserve any of what I have. That seems to be common among writers. I just received 2 rejections this week and had to pay some serious dough to fix my car, it’s not like I’m Neil Gaiman or anything, but there is still a wealth of gratitude I feel towards everyone who listens to me.

Although, they forgot my middle name in the program. haha

It happens all the time. I’d drop it if I wasn’t so attached to it. Maybe it’s too attached to me, who knows?

I was able to meet the lovely Meredith Tate who controlled a very successful Q&A after my shenanigans and I read a piece from a young playwright who has the potential to really BE something. (Good thing I know someone in that area-yes I’m looking at you Mr. Paris Crayton!)

I plan to stay active and force myself through the self-hatey days so I can live up to my name; something I spoke about at this event. My upcoming releases are very close to my heart and hopefully they’ll get a little closer to yours soon. Cuz, ya know, my readers are THE BEST readers. haha