1. My mom is a writer and I wanted to be just like my mom. This is very true. I remember waking up every morning to the sound of my mom tapping her fingers against her keyboard (back then it was a typewriter). The gently click clack of the keys was the best thing to wake up to. I kinda miss that sound. Anyway, one day my mom gave me her typewriter (she bought a new one) and I felt as though I had been given the greatest gift of my life. At ten years old I felt like this moment would be forever etched in stone. I've been in love with the written word ever since. :)
2. I was lonely. Actually...I was a lonely, shy, nerdy, introverted girl with only a couple of friends. The rest of the time I was at school being bullied by the students (and some of the teachers) because I was different. So I spent most of recess hiding in the library where no one could find me. I felt safe surrounded by books. They never hurt, or insulted me. Never told me to shut up. So it was only natural that I would gravitate towards the one thing in life that made me feel safe. Books.
3. I loved books. I remember this one book that I read over and over again when I was twelve. It's titled The Curious Clubhouse by Christine Govan. It was my very first grown up book (it had a lot of chapters). It was another important moment for me. This was the one book that made me feel as though I wasn't the only one that was being picked on or pushed aside. I wanted to write a book for that girl that was lonely just like me. I wanted to write a story that would let that person know that he/she wasn't alone in the world. That they matter. That they're important. That it's okay to be different
4. I have a very overactive imagination. I'm pretty sure if I didn't write my brain would literally explode. And I mean....KABOOM! Brain chunks everywhere.
5. I once had a boyfriend tell me that my manuscript would be dipped in red ink if an editor ever got a hold of it. So I wrote another novel out of revenge. And it got published and I'm still getting royalty checks. So it's okay to write out of revenge. (And yeah....I dumped his sorry, un-supportive ass).
6. Because someone told me I couldn't write in a specific genre. A long time ago someone left a comment on my blog saying that I would never be able to write a horror novel. Challenge accepted! I wrote a horror short story and a novel and both got published (under my pen name, I recently got the rights back to that novel and I'm revising it to submit it to another publisher).
7. To impress a boyfriend. When I was thirteen I got into poetry to impress my first boyfriend. He was cute. Don't judge me....you would've done the same. Turned out I was actually pretty good so I stuck with it.
8. Another boyfriend told me that I would never amount to anything (yeah...I had a really bad string of boyfriends, I had to kiss a lot of frogs before I found my prince) and I told him that one day he would see my name in lights. Still working on that. And knowing me the way I do...I'll make it happen. ;-)
9. Because I heard an awesome song and all of a sudden a scene popped into my head that was begging to be written.
10. Crazy dreams. Trust me, that's how I get my most amazing ideas.
And these are some of the reasons why I write. Anyway, I hope you enjoyed my little blog post. Now here's a little from my latest release First Frost. Happy reading!
For generations, the Frost family has run the Museum of Magical and Rare Artifacts, handing down guardianship from mother to daughter, always keeping their secrets to “family only.”
Gathered within museum’s walls is a collection dedicated to the Grimm fairy tales and to the rare items the family has acquired: Cinderella’s glass slipper, Snow White’s poisoned apple, the evil queen’s magic mirror, Sleeping Beauty’s enchanted spinning wheel…
Seventeen-year-old Bianca Frost wants none of it, dreaming instead of a career in art or photography or…well, anything except working in the family’s museum. She knows the items in the glass display cases are fakes because, of course, magic doesn’t really exist.
She’s about to find out how wrong she is.
To read an excerpt from First Frost, please click HERE.
To purchase First Frost, please click one of the vendors below:
Musa Publishing
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Learn more about Liz DeJesus on her website and visit First Frost on Facebook.
8 comments:
I can totally relate to numbers 1 through 4, and 9 and 10!
What is it about dreams giving us ideas? I think it's a subconscious conspiracy... ;)
All I know is that my dreams are both weird and awesome. :) It might just be a conspiracy, who knows? :D
All good reasons to write, Liz. Many of us are in the same boat.
I think my lips quivered there for a moment on all the crap you took as a girl. Kudos, Liz, you showed them all! I'm supporting you!
I'm sorry your youth was so tough, and heartened to hear you put it to good use! I agree with so many of the reasons why you write. The song thing, for one. Happens to me all the time. Wishing you much success with all of your writing endeavors, Liz!
P.S. And thanks for finding all of those great review sites!
Hi Vonnie, Sharon and Rhea! Thank you so much for stopping by and reading my blog post. Trust me, my childhood (and most of my teens) were rough. I'm actually thinking about writing a book (memoir or fiction still not sure) about some of the stuff I went through. I really was bullied in school sometimes by students and by my teachers. It was rough. But I rose above it and decided to make something of myself. I didn't want to wallow in my self pity. Glad I actually picked up a pen. It is possible to save yourself with words. It's the only thing that will live on long after I am gone. :)
*hugs* Thanks again, you ladies are amazing.
So sorry to read that you were bullied for being different. That really sucks, Liz. But that which doesn't kill us makes us stronger; right?
I like that you wrote a revenge book. That's awesome.
Great post, Liz!
Hi Margaret!
I remember one time a small group of kids put urine in a bottle and chased me all over school so they could throw it on me. I never ran so fast in my entire life. They ended up giving up because throughout the entire lunch break they couldn't catch me. I ended up hiding in the girl's bathroom on the other side of the school.
And another time a teacher sat me all the way in the back of the classroom on a broken chair because I was smart and kept raising my hand during class. My mom found out (because I got splinters and marks on my legs and thighs) and took me out of that school.
Trust me...it was rough. Sigh. And you're right. What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. :)
This was when I lived in Puerto Rico by the way. I came to live in the US when I was seventeen. Best thing to ever happen to me.
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