Hey everyone! Huge nerd girl here! I read and read and read and read. I always have. Growing up, I idolized authors. They were so cool, right? That was just childish wonder, now it's reality and I don't think of myself as nearly as  cool as the ones who penned the books of my childhood. No, I'm just a girl who loves to read. A girl who has the time to develope her talent and passion for writing. But, there's a reason for that available time. I'll give you my history in reading. It's probably more than you want to know about me, but if my story helps one of you out there, it's worth the eye rolling from the rest. So, here goes.

 

I've always needed books just as much, if not more, than their authors needed me to read them. Since I was a kid, they served as an escape. An escape from an illness that was absolutely no fun. So, I read and became the ultimate fan girl. The one who'd rather live in an author's creation than in her own world. But, I was never a writer. I never thought It was something I could do, so I never tried. 

 

Then college came and my illness seemed to go away. I was normal for the first time in my life and got to enjoy the everything about college. I made plans to conquer the business world after graduation. The only things I ever wrote were school papers.

 

Graduation comes sooner than you expect. And, along with my diploma, I also got the beginnings of the return of my illness that we now know as ataxia. So, I couldn't go off and live on my own quite yet.

 

Instead, I moved home to be with my family. I knew it wouldn't be long until I needed their help again, but I was still functional for the moment. By this point, my family had moved from Ohio to St. Croix of the US Virgin Islands. I got a job and spent the next eight months working, scuba diving, and enjoying the island life.

 

It wasn't until I moved to Florida that everything changed for me again. My ataxia became uncontrolable and constant, worse than ever before. During a six month period where I could barely get out of bed, I turned to my books once again. With as bad as it was, they no longer gave me the reprieve that I so desparately needed. That's when I started to write. I don't understand why I suddenly decided to try it, but I found that I couldn't stop. Dawn of Rebellion was finished during that time.

 

That was a dark time. I am no longer bed ridden most days but I am still dealing with the disabling illness. Writing gives me more than just something to do. It gives me purpose, goals.  It's hard to understand how much that means. 

 

I am happy now, even in my situation, because I get to do what I love and I get to share it with you.

 

This all taught me that it's okay to realize your dreams are unattainable. It's okay to let go of them. But, you must create new ones. Never stop dreaming. That is when there truly is nothing left to write about.