She couldn’t keep her colours inside the lines, so she drew new lines. Anonymous
The meaning of ‘journey’ as a noun is:
Any course or passage from one stage or experience to another.
My journey in becoming an author has been long and varied. I’ve encountered interesting little laneways where I took detours. Uncovering information on the writing craft and publishing. I also faced roadblocks in my drafting. Sometimes, I lost my way. Yes, I’m speaking about the editing process here. Was I even going in the right direction? I tried new genre destinations and left others behind.
Fifteen months ago, I started this website as my Author Platform. To develop my brand as a writer. A lot has happened in those fifteen months.
Here’s a rundown:
Developed my craft as a writer.
Finished my Master of Letters in Creative Writing.
Becoming an Indie Author and self-publishing my books. I did a lot of reading, listening to podcasts and speaking to other Indie Authors.
Started my little imprint company—Yellow Shutter Books.
Finished drafting my novel—a contemporary women’s fiction with a romance and historical subplot.
Planned my first romance series. Due to be launched late 2022.
Defined my author brand.
Prepared my anthology of short stories: Love, Laugh and Dream. The anthology is launching in early 2022. If you’re reading this in the future, check it out in the Books link on this website.
My aim is to produce top quality books for my ideal reader. Readers who enjoy reading contemporary women’s fiction with romance. My stories always have a romantic element. I will set some of these stories in the past. Some will have magical realism qualities. But the major theme is ‘love’. I also write in the romance genre. A series I am working on will be a contemporary romance set in south-west Tasmania (Australia).
As this website is for my readers. The goal now is to provide content that is relevant and interesting for you.
Lovers of love in stories.
From this point on, the articles I write will focus on the themes in my books, information on historical events, places, people, the arts (film, literature, music, art) and fashion.
Come and immerse yourself further into my stories. Their inspiration, my characters, and their world.
If there is anything you would love me to write about, please contact me.
I also welcome you to subscribe to my E-letters. You can subscribe here. Think of them as a friend writing a letter. Remember those? I love letters. They’re so romantic. I will pen an article on letter writing in the coming months.
As I take this new direction, look out for my articles.
With love,
Valerie 🌸
Image courtesy of MartinMark@ Dreamstime.com