my writing journey

Back in 2011, I had a secret writing dream: to become a novelist. 

At the time, I was working as a middle school teacher, and I barely had time to sleep, let alone write a full-length book. Plus, I had never written anything longer than a short story before—finishing a book seemed like a faraway dream. 

Despite my uncertainties, I finally got up the courage to quit my teaching job, take on a less-demanding editing job, and began pursuing my writing dream in earnest.

It was an exciting time … at first. 

But soon I found myself floundering. 

Without an MFA program to support my development or writing peers to work alongside, I felt scared and unequipped.

I remember spending full mornings—mornings I had set aside to work on my novel—Googling “writer’s block” and trying to figure out ways to overcome creative anxiety. At first, this seemed like a futile and embarrassing effort, and yet, surprisingly, I discovered wonderful advice and resources online. 

With this new knowledge, and with the help of an insightful therapist and coach, I eventually pulled myself out of my writing funk. 

That year, I started to write and submit in earnest for the very first time. 

Before long, I experienced my first taste of writing success. 

I got two short stories published, attended two amazing writing residencies, and finished two drafts of the book that would eventually land me an agent.

There have been plenty of ups and downs in my writing journey since then, but—fourteen years and three novels later—I’ve now gotten a pretty good handle on what it takes to carve out a writing life. 

I now have a two-book deal with Thomas & Mercer and am looking forward to the release of my second novel in late 2026. 

In 2018, I began teaching workshops and coaching writers, bringing in the knowledge and experience I’d gained through coaching, therapy, mindset work, and my own personal experience to help other writers reach their writing goals much more quickly than I did.