A Leap and a Prayer

Five-year plans are a very popular notion nowadays. People with real jobs, making real money, who have things like 401ks and stock portfolios, seem to rely on this concept very heavily.

Quite accidentally, my life as a professional writer has followed this set-up.

Five years after I graduated with a Masters from FSU, I sold my first short story and signed my first book contract. (I still like saying that. The sound of the words rolling off my tongue gives me the giggles.)

Now, five years (and 17 novels later) I am officially jumping genres.

While this is hardly news to my regular followers (since I’ve been babbling about it on and off for the last year), today it becomes a lot more real to me.

With Quiver now released to the literary world-at-large, I’ve realized that I may never, ever see another release day. There are no guarantees, no book contracts awaiting me in the mainstream…

*gulps*

*hyperventilates for approximately 2 minutes and 41 seconds*

*returns, still a little green around the edges*

“Scared straight” would be wryly appropriate in describing this monumental, eyes-wide-open but praying like mad, leap into the mainstream.

Yep, that about says it all.

Now, pardon me while I return to my hyperventilating.

Until tomorrow…

Chloe