Definitely books with disability!!! Doesn't matter the genre. We need more representation in literature, especially in schools. We need more representation period!
Pride and Prejudice. I look up to and am highly influenced by Jane Austen. She has a way of bringing you into her world and I love the way she develops her characters. It's so intimate and that's what is so lasting. We can still relate over a hundred years later.
No! I actually was the kid who colored books instead of reading! lol. I was always extremely creative. I fell in love with the world of films and literature from a young age because I was sick a lot. I still remember my dad coming home from Blockbuster with a VHS (yes, VHS) and I could not contain my excitement. I would wait all day when I was home sick from school for what he would bring home. I fell in love with the world of stories. I would go to my bookshelf during the day and find a good book to read, and I'd escape through literature as well. And suddenly stories became my escape.
Then when I was diagnosed with my rare autoimmune disorders at age 25, romantic comedies became my safe place. They kept me company through treatment and unbearable pain. The years when I couldn't get out of bed they allowed me to travel and escape myself. Audiobooks in particular helped me be able to get through painful everyday tasks. I had to start cooking all my meals from scratch and I hated cooking. They provided a reprieve from something that I detested and I began to enjoy cooking. That's when I started to get interested in becoming an audiobook narrator myself. I wanted to help give voice to the stories that had provided me so much comfort. I have found such joy in the work, but after hundreds of auditions I realized I wasn't seeing anyone like myself in fiction. And as I reader, I was having a difficult enough time finding books with representation in them, let alone someone with autoimmune disorders. And so I started writing.
I never thought I was good enough to write. I always wanted to be a writer. When asked in school what we wanted to do with our life I was the kid that said "write a children's book for every European country" while everyone else said "cure cancer." But I never thought I was good enough. I was the student who avoided English classes like the plague. And whenever my work was chosen to be read out loud in class I would sink as far down in my chair as possible. I'd criticize and tear apart every word read. Finally, my desire to see people like myself represented in romantic fiction won out over fear. I wanted to write a novel to help women with chronic disorders, who may have low self-esteem with their condition like myself, see that they are beautiful and worthy of love. And here I am. So thankful for the love the book community and readers have shown me. You are amazing!!!
Absolutely! It is terrifying to incorportate real life into your novel. While my story is fictional, so many other facets are not, such as the faith elements, the character's medical background, and even some of her family background. The basis for the main character's belief in love at first sight (or rather knowing at first sight) in the novel is built upon her grandparents’ love story. This is actually a true story of how my grandparents met and the basis for my belief in the concept as well. Many of the main character's medical stories are grounded in truth as well and are based on my own health experiences. Her dietary restrictions, medicine side effects, symptoms, and daily medical struggles are ones I battle with my autoimmune disorders. I also included a scene at Mont Saint Michel that discuses the character's faith and how it helped her survive with her disorders. There are undertones of suicidal thoughts and depression. It's all very real and all hits very close to home. I cried pretty hard in my bathtub writing that scene. I cry every time I read it. Still haven't figured out how I will be able to narrate it. I can't write and separate myself out. Not when I'm writing about something so personal like faith, love, and chronic illness.
I began writing as therapy and wanted to see someone like myself, with autoimmune disorders, represented in fiction–specifically romantic fiction. I'm an audiobook narrator and I've audition for hundreds of novels over the years. I realized I wasn't seeing anyone like myself in fiction. And as I reader I was having a difficult enough time finding books with representation in them, let alone someone with autoimmune disorders. I also wanted to write a novel to help women with chronic disorders, who may have low self-esteem with their condition like myself, see that they are beautiful and worthy of love. I have been shocked at the international response and the reviews from women with autoimmune disorders who are excited to see themselves represented in the romance genre. Readers are enjoying the disability and mental health representation in the novel and relating to the main character's struggles. And I feel truly blessed!!!
I wrote off and on throughout my life, but again never felt good enough. I started a book in lower school, middle school, and high school. None of them got very far. All of a sudden in February of 2022 this book poured out of me in two months. And I just wanted to finish before I turned thirty. It became this arbitrary goal in my head for some reason. Just like the character in my book wanted to do something big (her bucket list trip) before she turned thirty. The novel was never intended to be published. I was extremely blessed that people along the way encouraged me and told me that it needed to be published. They said the world needed to hear my voice. I'll always be forever grateful to them. I think I lost ten pounds the month before the book was published just in sheer fear and anxiety. But the response, support, and love has been greater than I could have ever imagined. I am so thankful to everyone who has shared their kind words and taken the time to reach out to me. You will never know how much you have helped me and how much it has meant to me! Sharing a story–while rooted in fiction, but is so personal with your chronic illnesses, fears, anxieties, and insecurities–is terrifying. And the book community has made this journey so amazing and worthwhile! :)
Yes, don't ever give up. Just keep going. That means take it one day at a time. Do whatever you can that day that's going to get you closer toward your goal of writing and publishing your novel so that you can reach readers. That means doing things that scare you. You should do one thing every day that scares you. If that means writing that scene you've been avoiding, do it! If that means reaching out to a blogger you admire, then do it! If that means setting a date for publication, then do it!!! You will never be able to reach people and share your story if you don't keep taking steps every day to make it happen. And that goal is achieved in the small every day tasks. Those little things add up and be proud of each one!! Every one means you are making your dreams happen! Make sure you take a moment to appreciate that and yourself!!! Enjoy the journey. I mean it! Stop now and take a minute to appreciate yourself and what all you've done.
