Four Years

Dec 1st, 2011 I hit publish on a book and changed my life. An Alpha’s Path wasn’t supposed to do what it did. I had hoped my friend on twitter who had once read a sentence of it would buy it and maybe I’d sell to one more person.

I sold 20,000+ copies of it that month.

I still don’t know how I did that. This was the hey-day of publishing as some would say as those numbers mean something different than they do now and rankings are crazy and things change on a dime.

But that book changed my life.

In November 2010, I had been reading romance hardcore for about 2 years. I made a blog where I wouldn’t review books, but put up books I love. I made a twitter account and started following authors I love. I didn’t know they’d actually reply back. It was as if the veil had been lifted and I could now talk to authors and our shared love of romance. I also couldn’t help but get ideas for my own romances. I had always been creative, even with my job in the chemistry department at a local university. I didn’t write fanfiction, but I always found myself adding a character to each book where I could live within those books. I know it sounds weird but I still do that with some movies and books! LOL Its like I wanted to be part of that world without breaking that world. So in 2010, I thought, maybe I could write a world.

I did NaNoWriMo for the first time and ended up writing 50k in two weeks. The book was called Chasing Hope and it will forever be hidden on my computer because its not who I am now.

But OMG it was fun.

It was for me and I never thought I could be an “author”.

Then I talked to Rebecca Royce who said “write it” when I said I had an idea for a book. I wrote The Alpha and the PHD that would later become An Alpha’s Path. Back then, it was a stand-alone novella and I even, after crit partners and edits, was rejected from a small press.

As I figured I wasn’t a romance author, but a reader, that would be the end of it.

Until Kade’s voice came back to me and said he wasn’t finished and he wanted to be part of a series. Behold the Jamensons and their power.

So I planned the Redwood Pack series, changed the title, and went into self-publishing because with my school and work, I wanted my own deadlines.

And I love every bit of the lack of sleep and hardcore work that came with that.

I went on to write 40 novels and novellas in the past four years.

I’ve sold over 1 million books in ebook, print, and audio.

I’ve hit the NYT and USA Today Bestseller lists.

I have seven series and more to come.

And I now have an agent to help with libraries and foreign titles for 2016 and beyond.

I work seven days a week but not 14 hours a day anymore.

I have a publicist, an assistant, an editing team, and a few close others that help me with each and every thing I do.

I have the most amazing readers who have been with me since the beginning and some that find me each day.

I have readers who have formed fan clubs, book clubs, have my series inked on their skin, and come to signings where I can thank them in person for being truly unforgettable.

It’s been four years and I’ve done so much and yet I know there is so much to do. I freaking love this job, even when I’m in pain and lost.

I have found true friends on this path who have held me close and keep me going each day.

I cannot believe it’s been four years since my world changed and I cannot wait to see what happens in the next four years.

Thank you for reading me. Thank you for being amazing. Thank you for sharing my books with others, reading my books, reviewing, and just thank you for being you.

I wouldn’t be here without you.

So, my dear readers, Happy Anniversary. It’s a freaking awesome day.