The Journey of a Thousand Words Begins with One Letter

So here I am, a newly published author and my head is still reeling from all the buzz and excitement that has come with me writing my first book. I have had to mentally process everything because it still seems unbelievable that it has happened. It became much more real when my writing coach called and told me that my work had been published , and it was now available for purchase. Wow!

How did it all start for me? I had never seen myself as a writer. My background was in food service and I was on a career trajectory that was leading me to teaching in the culinary arts. I cannot lie. The thought of writing a book was always of interest to me, but I just never seemed to find the time. To the casual observer, it would seem the first book I would write would be a cookbook. Because of my faith and trust that God will always lead me where I am to go, I had to trust him on this decision.

It wasn't until a few years ago that some of my friends began to comment on my writing style. They always seemed to be impressed with something I wrote and commented on it. I appreciated that. It made me feel much better and more confidant about writing. Still praying about writing my first book, I received a confirmation one night in a prayer service. It was time to get busy writing.

Years ago, I heard an author say something that stuck with me. He said, "when you write, you must write about what you know. That is your truth." I believe that. I am certainly not going to write about something like football (no offense to football fans), but I simply do not know enough about the sport to write about it. If there are three things I do know, it is my faith, my love for baking/cooking and my animals. I have always loved animals and been concerned about their well being and care. It was not too far fetched that the baker would toss his baker's cap and write about our furry four legged friends. It is a subject that is dear to my heart. I am always learning more about animals, and drown myself in reports, stories, documentaries and video footage about these precious creatures. I wanted as much information as I could obtain. After all, information breeds knowledge, and knowledge is power.

I also had to concern myself with the way I wanted to present my book to the reading world. Did I want an informational book? Inspirational style? Affirmations about our pets? I came to the conclusion that the best story I knew was my own. I would write my own experiences with animals and the wonderful lessons I have gleaned from them being in my life. I am not a selfish person, and I knew there were others who shared similar experiences. I invited them to join as contributing writers to my first book. The response was amazing. The stories were beautiful. The foundation of the book was strong. The end result, "The Fur Beneath My Wings: Our Relationship with Animals and The Valuable Lessons They teach Us."

My journey with this book began with a single letter, and it spawned many words that led to stories in my life that could be felt in the heart. Stories that made you laugh, cry, think and appreciate these precious creatures. I also wanted to incorporate "lessons" in the book. Lessons that we learn from them. Lessons in love, hope, patience kindness, compassion and faith. These lessons not only help one who believes and trusts in God to be a better Christian, but also a better human being.

I also came to realize this would not be my only book. I could explore so many aspects of having these wonderful creatures in our lives on different levels ad through different shared experiences. I want to delve into that, and bring these stories to life. Thus, "The Fur Beneath My Wings" shall be a series of books (think the Harry Potter series), but stories within their own right.

I am grateful for that day when I finally sat down to my computer and typed that first letter. It would be the beginning of my journey as a writer. I will always be a baker. I tell people, "they are going to bury me with my cake pans and aprons." I still have a passion for this marvelous creative field. I am just venturing down a new path. One that will give me freedom of expression with my words, thoughts and experiences. To bring to life all the wonderful things that make my life so full and wonderful.