Breathe With Me

Breathe With Me

Monday, August 26, 2013

Reflecting on the past year...

I’ve officially been on this journey for a year. It’s been a year ago this month since I finished COME AWAY WITH ME and began sending it out to anyone who would read it.
But I’m getting ahead of myself.
You see, it occurred to me today how different my life is from just one year ago. Radically different.
A year ago, it didn’t even enter my line of consciousness that in just one short year I’d be about to release my sixth title, I’d have a contract with Simon & Schuster, I’d have hit the USA Today list three times, or that I’d have a whole team of people; agent, publicists, editor, assistant, helping me to manage this career.
I didn’t realize that I’d have made so many new friends who now are a part of my daily life. People who inspire me and support me and keep me going.
People I love.
All of these things were the dreams of my wildest imagination.
What did I want to happen a year ago? What were my hopes?
It’s simple, really.
I hoped that I would have readers. I hoped and prayed that just a few dozen people, who didn’t know me, would read the book and actually like it.
That was it.
I’ve been writing romance novels for fifteen years. I’ll say that again. FIFTEEN YEARS, of writing, taking classes, writing some more. Listening to authors who had experience and were willing to give me advice. Writing even more and then filing those stories away as learning experiences.
I read and read and read.
And then I wrote some more.
I queried agents and publishers, and typically received a form letter in return. Thanks, but no thanks.
In those fifteen years I married and divorced and married again. I moved about eight times. Family members passed away. My husband was deployed to Iraq for a year, leaving me to be a single mom to his two children.
Life happened, and there were times that I stopped writing, but in the end, I always came back to it.
Because writing isn’t just something I do. It’s who I am. It’s my constant friend.
A year ago, I was working full time in a hospital emergency room, and I looked around and said, “This is not who I am.” Not to say that it wasn’t a great job, or an important job, because it is.
But it wasn’t who I was.
And so I took a chance and began sending messages to bloggers and other authors and said, “I have this novel…”
I didn’t even intend for it to be a series. When it began, Come Away With Me was a stand alone, until I met Jules and her brothers, and I knew it would be a series.
But in the beginning, I just wanted that first story to be read. That was my dream.
And now here I am, a year later, and well… my dream certainly came true and grew and grew. It didn’t happen over night. I hear so often, “It happened so fast!” And it’s true, things have happened quickly in the past year, but no one saw the past fifteen years of rejection, stories going unread, hours and hours of classes and workshops and networking.
Nothing worth having comes easy, and this is certainly worth having for me. This community is simply the most amazing one that I’ve ever been a part of, and I’m thankful that I’ve been welcomed with open arms. The readers are beautiful and intelligent, and my colleagues are simply stellar. I’m humbled to be here.
I love this job. And trust me, it is a job. Not an easy one. Still the best job in the world.
Thank you. Thank you for reading my stories. Whether you love them, or even if you think, “Meh, I’ve read better.”
Thank you for reading.
Thank you for making my dreams come true. It’s an incredible life, and I don’t ever take it for granted.

Not for one day.

23 comments:

  1. Happy Anniversary and thank you for not giving up on your dream to be published. Your characters are great and the family that you have created is a family that I look forward to reading about.

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  2. I am so proud of you and happy for you. There are many memories I have of a young girl with two kids struggling day to day. Look at you now, your ship has docked. I love you, I admire you. Leslie

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  3. Congratulations on all of your hard earned success. YOU inspire ME. And I love your books!

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  4. Congratulations on all your success. I have enjoyed and loved reading your "With Me in Seattle" series. I look forward into reading Caleb and Brianna's story in Safe with Me. Eagerly awaiting for that book. =) I think you are a talented and amazing writer..

    Maybe for the next character in the next series after Safe with Me, the next leading lady can be Asian ethnicity since Seattle has also growing Asian community. It would be a nice change of pace to see an interracial couple.


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  5. What a beautiful story Kristen! You are blessed. Your writing is great and I just love all your books. Keep writing. They will sale because you are doing and projecting to the world your passion. I am really happy for you. Believe it or not your story is very inspiring and those words can change the world for many of your readers. Just keep writing. Keep them coming!

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  6. I really enjoy your writing style. I love the dialogue and the thoughts you put in your character's heads. The words and phrases you use sound just like so many of us out there living it. It just makes me want to read more.

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  7. This couldn't happen to a more talented, sweet, and generous lady. You deserve all the success you have! I remember when I finished Come Away With Me last year. I knew I'd be a fan for life because of how your writing makes me feel. You evoke emotions in your readers that makes us come back for more. Thank you, Kristen. ♥

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  8. Congrats on making your dreams come true! You are a talented writer and I've read everything you have written thus far and I can't wait to read more! Keep Writing!!!

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  9. Thank you for following your dreams and sticking with it for so many years! Your books are awesome and ones that I reread prior to each new one because I love them so much. How can one not fall in love with all your characters?! You do such a great job of creating a great storyline filled with romance, steamy scenes, humor, and emotion. Keep up the wonderful work and I am so excited for all your success. You deserve it all and more! You have a lifetime reader in me.

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  10. Thank you for writing. I love this series and was thinking to myself just yesterday, I want to go back and reread some good books while I am on vacation in 3 weeks, and you were the first that I thought of. Please do not stop doing what you are doing and I can wait to read what you have next. :-)

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  11. Kristen, you are so special. Good things comes to those who wait and your bounty is yours. You're a beautiful person, inside and out...hope to see you next year at the Naughty Mafia Convention!

    P.S. There is a reason why everything in life happens and what has happened to you is so wonderful and encouraging, thank you for sharing this news with us. <3

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  12. Kristen, you made me teary! I love hearing your story and learning your ups and downs that brought your books to us! You inspire me, lady. And I adored meeting you in Vegas!

    Cheers to your amazing year!

    xoxo

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  13. Thank you for giving us something that is very important and special to you. I think I can speak for all of us that have read your story's, that you are truly talented and give story's that we will never forget. I can't wait for more you have in store for us ♥♥♥

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  14. You are blessed with a wonderful talent and I thank you for taking us all on your journey with you! I love the series and I've recommened the books to so many of my friends. Thank you for taking me to a different world while reading your wonderful stories. I look forward to see what you have in store for us next! Thank you for all of your hard work and sharing your stories with us!

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  15. I love your series..I love reading and your by far my favorite author..I know the deployments all to well. It takes a special kind of woman to go through a deployment specially to Iraq and you are just that..Your writing is awesome and I look forward to reading the next book..They say we are never given out anything we can not handle and I believe your a strong lady and you come out on top..Thank you for bringing your series out. In my opinion your better than Fifty Shades your characters are real at least in all your readers hearts I believe. Thanks again

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  16. Happy Anniversary Kristen!! I think you are wonderful, your stories are amazing and I love each and every one of your characters!! So thank YOU for doing what you do and sharing your creativity and genius with all of us!! :)
    Genny

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  17. thanyou for a great reading expereance loved each and everyone of them x

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  18. I can not wait for your future books. I have to say you are by far my favorite writer. I love your style and the characters. Thank you for bringing them to life. They are hilarious, sweet and just feel real. Thanks again XOXO

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  19. You thank everyone for their hard work and support when it is us who should thank you. You give us amazing stories that for a few hours give us a break from reality and takes us into your world. I just get lost in your books and the characters you create. I look forward to every book you put out. You deserve all of the happiness you are experiencing right now. Thank you for all you do for your readers!

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  20. I just finished reading the third book in the series "Play with Me" and I have to say that im completely and irrevocably in love with this series!!! im now itching to read "Rock with Me" and just cant wait to get my hands on it :D Thank you so much for writing these books there so will written and kept me on my toes the whole time I just simply couldn't put them down! im incredibly thankful to have come across them by chance and love like I do <3

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  21. Kristen you are AWESOME!!! I know you have heard this before and I hope it never gets old but just had to tell you from me that I absolutely LOVE the With Me in Seattle Series and cannot wait for the next one and the next one and the next one!!! What a wonderful God given talent you have. So happy for all your success and so glad you came back to it knowing this is what you were meant to do! :)))))

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  22. Love your books. Thank you so much for keep working with your writting for all those years.
    Looking forward to your new book on Tuesday - and hopefully many more in the years to come.

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