Writing is something I’ve always been passionate about. I remember at 13 years old I had filled an entire spiral bound notebook with my first book. I have no interest in reading that book now, but the amazing fact is, I wrote a book. From start to finish, I’d crafted an entire fictional story with characters, plots, drama, etc. Why I picked up my pen and started doing this is a mystery to me. Perhaps the dozens of sleepovers with my best friend as we traded Sweet Valley High and R.L. Stine books back and forth played a part in this. Maybe it was my love for putting pen on paper and perfecting my handwriting. Or possibly it was my fascination with love stories and the ability to tell a story exactly how I wanted to. I'm positive all of these things played a part in my passion to write. And now fast forward a couple decades (ouch) and I have probably written about 12 books. Don't even ask - those books will never see the light of day. In fact, I may have burned them by now. But the passion and enjoyment of writing never died.
Six years ago (In August), I quit my job in Advertising, left my friends, packed up my condo, and moved to Florida. I decided to take a risk and start a new venture. At that time, finding a job was tough. My dream of working for one of the theme park’s corporate offices were dashed as soon as I realized the number of applicants they receive daily. I still tried, but with no luck. During my journey in finding a job, I began to fill the extra hours of my day with writing. This time, I was determined to take it seriously. I wanted to create an elaborate story involving love, the supernatural, and all things the young adult readers crave (let’s face it, even us adults love those books!). I’ve always found Ancient Greek history, especially the mythologies created from them, intriguing. I thought to myself, “How cool would that be to write my own mythology set in modern day?” And that’s what I set out to do.
While initially creating the story of The Summer Solstice, I allowed life, and fear of rejection, to get in the way. And although I tried to get back to it as often as I could, I had lost that driving force in me. Thankfully, recent events have pushed me to find myself and connect with my writing again. I haven’t been happier. The feeling of completing a book from start to finish, having others read it, and then having them actually want to continue reading is fulfilling all in itself.
I’m currently at the end of my editing phase and my book is almost ready. I've set a deadline, because I know if I don't I could rewrite the story a dozen more times before perfecting it. I can’t wait to share my story with you all. And although I'd love to try the "find an agent and get printed by a real publisher" route, I'm going to give this self-publishing thing a try. And while I brace myself for inevitable criticism I will no longer hold back and fear the unknown. I’m going to put myself out there, share my story, and enjoy every second of it. I hope you do too!
Thank you for reading this!
K.K. Allen
P.S. For those of you who know me, K.K. Allen is my pen name. My ultimate goal is to write Project Management books as well, and I want to keep those under my “real” name. Soooo, there ya have it!
The Summer Solstice Novel will be available in Kindle format on June 10th, 2014.
Update: The Summer Solstice is now available in Print and Kindle download (other formats to come) here: www.http://amzn.to/1quA7UQ
