The beginning
When I was pregnant with my son, I was conflicted about whether or not to continue working after he was born. I enjoyed my job as a fundraiser for a museum, and I felt (however wrongly) that I would be "wasting" my degree if I chose to stay home. I had multiple conversations with my husband and other family members, ultimately deciding that it made the most sense for our family for me to leave my job.
It was the right decision, and I am so grateful that I have the opportunity to be a stay-at-home parent. However, following the decision, I still had a lingering feeling that I needed to do something else to define who I was outside of my position in our household. So I promised myself that I would write more.
Writing is something I've always enjoyed, but sort of drifted away from in college and in my professional career. I was still writing, of course, but it wasn't quite as fulfilling as I had hoped. I wanted to dive back into creative fiction.
At Christmas, I asked my family for books on writing novels, and my brother delivered. They sat on my bookshelf for several months while I adjusted to life as a new parent, but I started working through them the summer after my son was born. I just needed to find a story.
Luckily, inspiration can be found anywhere, and I was about to discover mine. My son went through several outfits a day out of necessity, and I found myself well acquainted with our washer and dryer. Hours spent in the laundry room had me wondering about where those missing socks actually end up, which led to the very rough beginnings of Benjamin Ringer and the Lost Sock.
With the excitement of a new tale just starting to bud, I devoted an hour or so each night to writing freely, as the books my brother gave me advised. In about three months, I had a rough draft. Several months after that, I made more time to sift through the existing material and turn it into something I could send to friends and family for feedback, which they graciously provided.
My progress slowed a bit during (and following) my pregnancy with my daughter, and it wasn't until recently that I devoted more time to seeing this novel through. I spent a weekend editing and incorporating feedback, and began to create an online presence (surprisingly time-consuming and exhausting!), which brings me to this point.
Benjamin Ringer was (and still is) a challenging new venture for me, but it's something that I am proud of. I'm both terrified and excited to share it with the world, which I plan to do soon! Keep posted for more updates (and an upcoming blog post on the fantastic cover art that can be seen on my website).