~ The Beginning ~
When I was in my early twenties, my sister, Ginger, introduced me to the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. I was a hooked bookworm. I reveled in the storyline and couldn’t get enough of the extensive book series. I then moved on to Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, Jean M. Auel, and Diana Gabaldon who also had books which captured my attention and kept me reading. As you can see, throughout most of my adulthood I have been an avid reader of fantasy and historical fiction and have simply enjoyed getting lost in the worlds and characters created by the authors. That was until one night in 2004.

~ The Dream ~
Stephen King, Stephenie Meyer, and other famous authors have become widely known for their stories which manifested themselves in dreams. The only problem is, when I had my dream in 2004 I didn’t view myself as a writer. I enjoyed a great book, my dogs, and spending time with my family like every other normal American, yet I thought writing my own book was a dream in itself. It took five years for that view of myself to change.

~ The Writing ~
In 2009 my sister told me about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), a worldwide contest  encouraging people to begin writing their novels with a 50k word goal for the month of November. I naturally love setting goals and being competitive with myself. I also had a leg up on my writing; I already knew that my dreams from 2004 could only come to life if I wrote and shared with others. NaNoWriMo was the perfect opportunity to begin writing what would become the Levels of Ascension series.

Seven years later and one book release into the Levels of Ascension series, I am still actively writing with NaNoWriMo. Twice I have set my own goal of 150k words for the month and won, written over 630,000 words in the months of November, and have been inspired by many wonderful people all along the way.

~ The Books ~
On November 4, 2016, we officially released my first book, Outside Ascension. It was the culmination of a ton of time and team effort, but don’ worry, we are just getting started. As Diana Gabaldon says, “it’s just you and the page” and NaNoWriMo has encouraged me and my pages to become a published novel. In the coming months, I will continue releasing many of my works from NaNoWriMo, which includes the entire 13-book Levels of Ascension series. At the end of the day, if it weren’t for my wonderfully supportive family, amazing friends, NaNoWriMo, and the incredible community which spans from it, I may have never made my dreams come true with the Levels of Ascension.