M Honaker

I have known since I was seven years old that I wanted to be a writer. A classroom project in the 2nd grade had us write a story, then we were taught how to make a physical book, and mine was put on display in the school's library. I wrote poems in grade school, short stories in middle and high school, and started to send my writing into magazines and publishers by the time I was in my late teens. I had a couple of people who thought maybe they were interested along the way, ended up with a few poems published, but mostly it was rejection after rejection. I couldn't afford an agent, and still can't, so all I was able to do was send things into publishers myself and hope. After lots of, 'sorry we aren't interested at this time' letters, I started to feel disappointed, and that gave way to depression, and eventually, I quit writing altogether. For eight years, I didn't write anything more than jotted down thoughts here and there. I turned my back on the idea of ever being an author. I wasted my free time on mindless video games and television, essentially starving my creative nature. Then one night, I had a nightmare and, in the morning, was unable to shake it. It kept digging its way into my thoughts for a couple of days, and finally, I told a good friend about it. I gave him all the details (for some reason, I remembered them exceptionally well), and the first thing he said to me was, "that would make a good book." For days I couldn't stop thinking about what he'd said, would it make a good book? I hadn't used my writing muscles in a long time, could I even still do it? After a few more days, I finally sat down at my computer and opened the writing program. I was rusty, but as I wrote, the rust started to fall away slowly, and before I knew it, I was ten chapters deep, and loving the experience. All the things I'd forgotten how much I loved were still there. I love watching a character take on a life of its own, sometimes refusing to do something I thought they were bound for. Fleshing out surroundings so that I can see them perfectly in my mind's eye, the excitement as I come to a particularly exciting part of the story. It was all still there waiting for me to figure myself out and come back. Writing is my passion in life. I don't know how or why I ever let myself stop doing it.

I have three books published now! In The Shadow of the Mountain, 13 Gates, and The Croatoan Council book 1, The Outset. I'm currently working on book 2 of the Croatoan series, and enjoying it immensely! I'm hoping to see the series hit ten books in total, and from what's currently milling about in my brain, I think ten is a good number.