Humble Beginnings as a Fiction Writer

I always thought it would be fun to write a book for toddlers. So when a story came to mind I was ready to go. But there was only one problem, I was too busy with work to put pen to paper. So that dream was put on hold. It wasn’t until I was laid-off from work five years later when I would finally make an attempt to write the story that was unfolding in my head ever so rapidly. 

But after several pages later, I knew no toddler would have the attention span for it, plus the story wanted to take a different direction than I had intended for it, for the first time as a new fiction writer I experienced writer’s block.  So while I was battling it out with the main character of this story, a cute little chubby-cheeked golden blonde six year old boy came to mind. He was a snoopy little fellow who loved to solve all things difficult. The story flowed out of me like water from a faucet.  I had my protagonist, his side-kick, the victim, the suspects and the second book all in tow.  I was so excited I started outlining the storyline immediately.  From that day on I never looked back at my first story until one year and a half later.   

Like Declan, the main character of my second story, I love a good mystery.  Nothing is more gratifying to me than trying to make sense of something difficult. So the story just poured out of me.  Forty pages later I realized this book was too complex for any six year old to follow, so I aged the characters by five years – what’s it with me being one reading stage off when writing these stories?   

After I finished the first book, Kidnapping of the Diamond Eyes Gingerbread Penguin, I started on the second. 

This was a wonderful experience writing both books of the series back-to-back.  This allowed me to really learn about my two main charters of the book, as well as the supporting cast.