Am I good at it?
The answer is in the eye of the reader, not in the creator.
My mystifying quest to write took me on a journey I never considered for myself. Growing up I never experienced the joy of reading a book, just for fun. So why do I have this drive to write? Where did it come from? Moreover, why me?
For me, words are the basic unit in society to paint one’s thoughts, to create a picture, a figment of imagination, a truth I need to cover up or one I need to expose. Either way I have an inner drive to put it on paper.
So far, I have never written a book as a source of income. I write for the mysterious need within me to laugh at life’s irregularities, and to cry at life’s tragedies.
Until now, my books have been my hidden joy. No one had ever read one of my books until my granddaughter came home for a sabbatical. It’s on her coaxing that I caved in to publishing my first book, Sisters-Six and One to Grow On, the first edition of my Sisters-Six series. My granddaughter is the encourager of reason and she had a listening ear, an incredible balance of good sense, and a calming attitude that won me over.
Authorship is a scary business. It forces one to step out of their comfort zone, to expose their frailties to the readers of the world. Not to mention, publishers, editors, agents, English majors, the list is endless of those who can strike terror in a new author on the block. “The chopping block,” awaits us fledging who have, just punched the save button on the computer after signing off, with the last sentence in our pride and joy, our books.
I have allowed the Sisters-Six series to build on the perplexing dilemmas of six foxy, retired, intelligent sisters with diverse interests. I added a pinch of spice and hysteria to the newly acquired run down plantation known as Kettering Wood, with a mascot, Buford, a goat, and his coconspirator Spats, a pet schnauzer. This odd blend rides a whirlwind of calamity and adventure, tempered with laughter and tears.
Upon the publishing of my first suspense, The Rat’s Tail Wore a Badge, my second series, my granddaughter called me an author one who has paid her dues. After the sixth rewrite, every author deserves recognition.
The Rat’s Tail Wore a badge series is a compelling drama, surrounding Elizabeth Dourseá, age twelve, born with a birth defect who lives with her paternal grandfather, Raymond Dourseá, on a small farm in Grippers Bluff, Oklahoma. Leroy Dourseá, Lizzy’s father is serving time in McNanna Penitentiary for the accidental deal of her mother. Lizzy’s resolve is tested to the brink upon hearing her father is being released early for good behavior.
The small town’s sheriff, Billy Woolker, harbors a big hat for the Dourseá family, especially Leroy Dourseá. For reasons unknown, Billy’s hate filled rivalry ignites a vengeance that turns into a raging inferno of foul play. It takes the town’s silent bag lady to squelch the flames of regret, distortion, and terror.
As an author, I can easily allow myself to wrap up in a blanket of self-pity on any given day, if I start thinking about the should-haves or the should-not-haves. For a writer, this is a wasted mindset; instead, I’ll pick up the Thesaurus and read the book filled with treasured words. This never fails to open new ideas and it’s perfect answer for the “woe is me” syndrome.
Thank you for listening to Julie Áuna, storyteller and author. Who will write till the day she dies!
http://julieauna.wordpress.com/
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