Hey, hey Bloodlings!

It's ya girl J.S. Living hoping you're feeling happy, healthy, and wealthy.

Four/five-ish days ago, I released a blog post on my website titled "That Time People at My Bus Stop Threw My Binder of Stories Down the Drain," and it got me thinking: How much do y'all really know about me or why this campaign means so much to me.

Well, let me tell you in a series of updates starting with, you guessed it, That Time I Wrote My First Book and How it Changed My Life Forever. 

That Time I Wrote My First Book and How it Changed My Life Forever. 

The first book I ever wrote from beginning to end was originally titled The Soul Searcher. This was back in 2016 when I thought my first novel would be published in the traditional manner--through submissions and querying, etc.

But, what I submitted as my final project for undergrad was not a complete novel, it was just the beginning of one.

And, so, I went to grad school with the idea that I would clean up the draft and submit a new, polished one as my thesis project. I passed, of course, but the book still wasn't finished. There were a ton of plot holes, and there was only a beginning and part of a middle.

So, the journey continued even after I completed my M.F.A. in Writing.

The Soul Searcher became the thing I worked on day and night, writing and rewriting scenes. There are good memories and bad memories from that time--most of them related to financial wins and losses, but what I  remember most was becoming a regular customer at my local Starbucks.

You see, at the time I was writing The Soul Searcher, I was stuck at a job I didn't care for too much, with people I only sort of liked, and a living situation that was less than ideal. The only thing that really got me through my days was my cat Haruhi (who's name, much like this post, was influenced by anime) and working on the book that I just knew was going to make me a, quote "author."

And so I wrote.

And I wrote.

And I wrote some more.

And I kept writing until I finished my book on my deadline: The day before my 27th birthday.

When I wrote that last sentence, that last word, that's when I knew I could do it. That I could be an author.

It didn't matter that the book was trash, or that I've shelved the project since--though my mind often wanders back to it.

The part that changed my life was the sense of accomplishment I achieved from completing something that others often fail to do.

I bawled like a baby when I wrote my first novel, and I'm not ashamed, because I still bawl like a baby when I finish projects now.

Since that day, I've written a total of five books: Two complete novels, two incomplete novels, and Blood Ties, my first-ever short story collection.
 

Writing that first book changed my life forever because now, now I know I can create entire worlds from the tiniest spark in my brain. Now I know I can inspire others to write, or to get lost in the universes I make, and that is the most amazing thing I could ever hope for.

So, why should you support my Backerkit Campaign? Why should you share with your friends and family via text messages and social media? Why should you help me reach my funding goal of $700?

It's simple:

You want to inspire people too. You want to be able to say you helped make the world of Blood Ties and The Covenant of Blood come to life. You want to have a say in what happens in future books. Just like me, you want to leave your mark on the world through stories.

Because what are we, if not the stories we tell? 

So, this is your chance to be part of something bigger. To get to decide something that others won't be able to. We have $90 to go before we reach our goals. Be immortalized in this project today. All you have to do is follow the blood trail, and back my campaign. 

And, if you're looking for extra special rewards, you can back the campaigns of my fellow Booktopia participants to get an exclusive Booktopia Bookmark AND a set of Oracle Cards.