Begin!

Welcome, y’all! 

It feels a bit ironic to be sharing this on an author’s website, but to be completely honest, I did not grow up loving language arts, reading, or writing. In school, those classes actively gave me stomachaches. While my wonderful teachers gave me a solid foundation, my spelling and grammar remain works in progress, and I always viewed reading as a checklist rather than a passion (oooh, that might sound familiar after you read When Brother Reads a Book).

Instead of reading popular book series like my friends did, I preferred Calvin and Hobbes, wildlife reference books, and Magic Eye. Science was my true joy, and I spent years wanting to be a marine biologist—attending SeaWorld camps, reading about anatomy, and dissecting animals that were unlucky enough to meet their doom in my parents' pool. Though I eventually talked myself out of that path to pursue a Business Administration degree at A&M Corpus Christi (where I still got to enjoy life on an island), my love for science and animals never left. It wasn’t until after college, and surviving a copious amount of required reading, that I finally fell in love with reading for pleasure.

Now, 19 years after college, life has brought both planned and unplanned moments. I have succeeded, failed, and grown. Today, I am a wife, a mother, and a published author.

As we get older, we get better at many things, but we often lose our curiosity and the ability to try new, scary things without letting the fear of failure stop us. I, as a kid, thought that adults never failed and knew what they were doing all the time. Oh boy, was I wrong! That is what this first post is about: beginning. I am not talking about the wild ideas that come to you at 11 p.m., but rather the things that your head and heart keep playing on repeat.

I have wanted to write a book since I was about 26. To make it happen, I just needed to begin. I started with a basic Word document and scribbled super basic drawings, and I kept moving forward. While the direction changed along the way, with God's grace, every day was a new start. I am just focusing on learning, creating, enjoying, and beginning as many times as I can.

Thank you for joining me on this journey. Let the countdown to you reading my first book, When Brother Reads a Book, begin!

Blessings,

Holly B