Dreaming bigger

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This website and blog come from a desire to share my experiences in becoming a writer. My first post, Am I a Writer Yet?, September 27, 2020, tells more about that. I started writing as a way to Dream Bigger—my mantra and new year's resolution in 2016. 

Since then, I've met scores of writers and formed support groups to encourage and critique each other's writing. One of these is the Virgin Authors,  a community for new writers. We provide tips and information and chat with industry experts live on FaceBook. Scroll to the bottom of this page to see photographs of my writing pals, their books, and our IRL meetings at conferences. My Connect page lists recent and upcoming writing conferences I attend.

I believe women often abandon ourselves in service to our families. This is not a bad thing, except for the extent to which we may do it. After my second child was born, I fell into a postpartum depression that lasted years.

Meanwhile, I raised my two young children and ran a home-based advertising business, all on auto-pilot. Once I clawed my way out of depression, I immersed myself in the lives of my husband and children. Trying to make up for what I'd missed, I focused all my attention on helping them achieve their goals and dreams. 

Having raised two amazing, college-educated citizens of the world, I was free to reexamine my own aspirations. My creativity longed for expression. 

In 2018, I began a dedicated writing habit. My husband looks after me when I get caught up and forget to come out for food. He's amazing, and I couldn't ask for a more supportive partner. I'm seeking representation for my first two women's fiction novels. The Moment Before Waking is a story with a touch of magic, and Five Sisters and a Wedding is a complex family saga with romantic elements.

2024 has been a big year for me. My fantasy short story A Dragon-Shaped Darkness will be published in the upcoming anthology, A Beacon Amidst Shadows (Three Raven's Publishing, 2024). Five Sisters and a Wedding won The 2024 Maggie Award for Excellence from the Georgia Romance Writers. And I successfully pitched both my books and short stories to multiple agents at conferences in Seattle and Atlanta.

For a sneak peek at other stories in the works, see More . Until  then, I'll be here, manifesting magic on the page. You can buy the inspirational anthology with my first published words HERE. (All proceeds benefit women writers by providing scholarships.)

With warmest aloha,

Lyssa