I’ve been writing professionally for ten years now. It’s crazy to think that.

I’ve seen so many small presses come and go. I’ve encountered incredible editors (and frightful ones), I’ve seen glowing rejection letters (and decimating ones), and I’ve slowly learned the ropes. It’s taken a lot of time and a lot of dedication. It requires becoming an expert or at least gaining competency in a variety of areas.

Here are just a few that I came up with off the top of my head. These are all skillsets I didn’t really have ten years ago, but now definitely do.

• Legal consultant
• Contract negotiator
• Social media representative
• Therapist
• Software specialist
• Website engineer
• Business entrepreneur
• Tax agent
• Festival representative
• Graphic designer
• Videographer
• Book tour planner
• Public speaker
• And so many more…

About three years back, as my sister and I started to break down the parts and pieces of turning this work into a small business, it quickly became a no-brainer. The amount of time/money/effort that goes into being an author easily makes up a small business. It takes up my evenings, my weekends, my family time, and especially time with my friends. (Love y’all!)

The truth is: I create because I love doing this, not because it pays. (Maybe some day.)

I thought it would be a good idea to give you all, my readers and fans, the opportunity to buy me a coffee (or tea in my case). Imagine sitting down beside me at a local Starbucks and just sliding the cup over while I’m deep in a scene. Know that it’ll help fuel a good afternoon of content creation, whether that’s thinking up some horrific scenes or writing some dialogue that pulls at the heartstrings — or it might help me celebrate my birthday today. 🙂

It’s small, but it helps. It adds up. Thank you for supporting me!