“But I don’t want to weed the daisies.” That was the prompt in my creative writing class. I wrote about Mary Alice, a little girl who would rather make a dandelion crown and dance in the garden than weed the daisies. I was pleased with what I wrote. The next week Mary Alice appeared in my writing again. And the week after that. I liked her and I realized that she had a story that I needed to tell. Prior to her appearance, I had not thought to write a novel, but now it was happening.
I discovered that Mary Alice was actually Maryalise, a fairy child, who had been hidden in the mortal world with no memory of her life in the fairy realm. As the book progressed, she began to discover that she had magic and she learned how to use it. Ultimately, she had to go down into an underground cavern—without magic—to rescue her father who was trapped there. This book became a middle grade fantasy novel. After Maryalise and the Singing Flowers was finished, friends suggested that I could write stories about the fairies in the Fairy Realm. I disagreed, saying that unless I got a really good idea, Maryalise and the Singing Flowers would be a stand-alone book.
Needless to say, I did get what I felt was a good idea. Maryalise and the Stolen Years continues Maryalise’s story as she tries to solve the mystery of why tombstone inscriptions are changing in the old abandoned cemetery. And she is also trying to find out where Villiana, the evil fairy, has hidden the two fairy children that she stole. My first book was character-driven as I wrote to discover where Maryalise would take me. Maryalise and the Stolen Years was plot-driven. I knew the end before I began writing.
The idea for the third book in my trilogy came as the result of a very vivid dream in which I was snatched by some entity. When I woke up, I scribbled the details down, and I began writing Maryalise and the Snatched Fairy.
I edited my books. I attempted to find a publisher. I investigated the possibility of finding an agent who would then attempt to sell my books. The whole process might take 4-6 years. I decided to become an Indie publisher, using Kindle Direct Publishing through Amazon.com. I wanted the books to be available for my grandchildren now. And they are. My three middle-grade fantasy novels are available on Amazon.com.
Thinking about Maryalise and her adventures reminds me that I can actually do more than I previously thought I could. Accomplishing something often requires a lot of steps. Even though I don’t know all of the process I will use, I can identify the next step and move forward one step at a time. I wrote three books. I learned how to format them and I created the covers using the illustrations created by my granddaughter who is a freelance artist. kelianartayler.com. I have learned how to use the Zoom platform for storytelling. I am creating a blog website and participating in this A to Z Blogging Challenge. I am learning how to draw and paint. I don’t have to be perfect. I don’t have to know everything right now. I just need to do something.
New adventures await me. Here I come.