DREAMS COME TRUE // i'm a published authoress! + my story is ONLY FREE for today

A dream of mine has come true today.

It's kind of hard to wrap my head around.

I considered whether I'm being too dramatic about this...

I mean, I haven't seen many authors announce simple publications, such as online publications, with "MY DREAM HAS COME TRUE." They're more like... "I've been published! How exciting! Don't forget to read it!" And that's all.

Which is TOTALLY FINE AND I LOVE THAT.

But this publication is a first and a huge deal to me.

It's a milestone, to be honest.

It IS a dream come true.

~

So, since it's a dream come true, I'm not going to let that stop me from calling it as such simply because of a silly worry that it'll look dramatic. Or childish. Or unprofessional.

Any other writers reading this can probably relate to publication being the dream.

Short story, novella, full-length novel...

Online publication, self-publication, traditional publication...

It's not just exciting, it's what we've been working towards for a LONG TIME.

Over the years, I have seen so many stories published in online magazines, print magazines, anthologies, etc., etc.

THAT HAPPENING TO ME HAS BEEN SUCH AN ENORMOUS DREAM OF MINE.

An enormous dream that felt so out of reach.

Submissions went out, and hope swelled within me. My dream becoming reality danced just out of reach...

Then the rejections hit my inbox, and the dream felt like a fantasy again. 

As impossible as stepping through a closet into Narnia.

As likely as physically stepping through the pages of LotR into Middle Earth.

No more real than a magical sea serpent.

Well, I'm living proof today that dreams DO come true.

~

If I could, I'd send a letter back in time to my younger self, telling her that her dream is not an impossible fantasy.

Her attempts - her fight - to make that dream come true will be worth it.

They are leading to something...

Not failure, but victory.

And that's what I'm telling you today:

Dreams come true, okay??? Including YOURS.

If you keep fighting, keep trying, keep building your craft and growing your abilities and knowledge towards that dream...

... that dream is much closer to coming true than you may think.

And above all, remember that God is behind it.

Keep praying, and keep knowing in your heart that He knows where every step leads.

He's the one who brings you your victories, and He knows exactly where He's hidden those victories along your path.

Whatever your dream is, whenever your first or next victory comes, and whatever you do...

Don't. Lose. Hope. 

~

Hey, friends! (What do think of the format of my message above? It came to me on a last-minute whim... XD) As has been made abundantly clear already, today is a very exciting day.

My story The Elusive Serpent, a pirate fantasy flash fiction, has been published on Havok! And it's only free for today, January 11! So if you're interested, be sure to check it out at gohavok.com. If you're interested and reading this post after January 11, never fear! Their membership is very reasonably, affordably priced. Plus, with a membership you can vote for stories to be included in Havok's anthology coming out in July. EPICNESSSS.

Comment below about dreams coming true, and you don't need a membership to comment on Havok, so if you read my story and want to comment there, you can!

Dream big. Work hard. Trust God.

And wreak havoc.

<3

The Lord's Truly,