Let Me Introduce Myself

I have a confession to make. This is my very first blog post. Until recently, the thought of starting my own blog never even occurred to me. I've always been a private person, so the idea of posting my thoughts and feelings for all the world to see is a bit daunting. Nevertheless, I've decided to give it a try, so here goes.

I thought I'd begin by telling you a bit about myself. My name is Kristie Self, and I'm a self-published author. My first novel, The Piano Teacher, is scheduled to release on January 19. It's an inspirational historical romance and is the first in a series.

There's one other thing you should know about me--I'm terrified. There are a lot of reasons to be nervous about publishing a book. Fear of rejection, fear of failure, fear of disappointment. It's a constant struggle. One day I think I'm a genius, the next I think I must be the worst writer to ever walk the planet. But the one thing that never changes is the desire to write, to allow my creativity to spill over into words that bleed onto the page before me. And that desire has brought me to this point, on the verge of publishing my first novel.

I've had quite a few jobs during my life. I've worked at a newspaper and a daycare. I've worked as a temp at a hospital administration office and, very briefly, as the person who places labels on bottles of contact solution at a contact factory. I've been an elementary music teacher and, for the past 18 years, I've worked at a bank as a loan processor. But the one occupation I've always longed for more than any other is that of author.

I think I was always meant to be a writer. My mother has told me that when I was little, before I knew how to read, I would take picture books and flip the pages, making up my own stories as I went. I don't even remember doing that, but clearly, the creative genes were present early on.

My mother always read to me as a child and I was fascinated by stories. I couldn't get enough of them. I would listen as she read tale after tale and then beg for more. Once I learned to read, the world of books was opened to me and reading quickly became my favorite pastime.

I was 8 years old when I discovered the thrill of writing my own stories. I'll never forget it. My 3rd grade teacher was preparing us for the standardized tests we would take later in the year. At that time, creative writing was one of the subjects the test covered. My teacher began giving us story prompts every day to practice. Most of my classmates hated the task, but not me. I looked forward to each writing assignment with enthusiasm, and by the time the school year had come to an end, I had made a very important decision.

I was going to be an author.

Fast forward 30 years, and I've finally attained my lifelong dream. Why, you may ask, has it taken so long to achieve my goal? The simple answer is that life doesn't always turn out the way we plan, something most of you have probably already learned. My path has been a winding one, but I feel like I've finally reached the place I'm meant to be.

My name is Kristie Self, and I'm an author. And despite the many labels I've worn over the years, I've never really wanted to be anything else.