Welcome to my inaugural post!
I’m so glad you found your way here. Explore, read, and please come back for more.
What an adventure this past year has been, from sitting down to pen Trail the Heart to this momentous day, uploading my very first official blog post.
I have cried, sat in quietude, writing until my butt hurt from being in the chair so long, and laughed at myself tons.
I learned to take myself much less seriously after being humbled over and over again when facing the growing pains and stumbling blocks to self-publishing.
Truth be told? I’m still in the thick of it. And I suspect this is common to the process—to any process worth taking.
Truth be told? I’m still in the thick of it. And I suspect this is common to the process—to any process worth taking.
Permission to take breaks
Besides a healthy sense of humor, another gift I received was permission to take breaks in the writing journey. My favorite way to do so was walking in the woods with my dog.
After re-injuring a joint damaged in a car accident years ago, these hikes were much slower and significantly more painful than I was used to taking. I would have to drive to the trailhead to shorten the walk and avoid people seeing my marked limp.
The slow pace enabled me to set the scene for Jordan and her hikes. The smells, sounds, and silence allowed the storyline to blossom and develop in a far more peaceful and organic way than trying to force the letters into words to complete sentences at the computer. It brought me back to the times I spent backpacking pieces of the Appalachian Trail—most recently in 2018. I have yet to take the odyssey of a thru-hike, the way Jordan so bravely undertook, but knowing it’s never too late to fulfill a dream, who knows?
Bonding moments
Another bonus of my daily treks: it bonded me closer to my loving pup.
We would picnic by a babbling brook, listening to the birds' tweets as they looked for a mate to settle down with to raise a few babies.
Margaret would grab herself an after-dinner stick and gnaw while I sat against a tree and pondered: Where was Jordan headed next? What does Adam’s life look like when it isn’t interrupted by his fascinating new woodland friend?
That turned out to be the fun part. Once I had a complete manuscript, the real work began.
Once I had a complete manuscript, the real work began.
Thankfully, I wasn’t alone.
With my husband as my alpha reader, I found a handful of wonderfully supportive beta readers and then hired a fantastic graphic designer.
What a difference a team of believers make—I am forever in your debt. A thank you hardly covers the gratitude I hold for you all in my heart.
What a difference a team of believers make.
Be well,
Kathleen xo