I have so many dreams as a writer — both plausible and implausible. It’s fun to think about what I’d like and what could be…and to go all out with it. Here’s my list of stuff I’d like to have or accomplish when it comes to the writing life and my books.

A special edition book with sprayed edges, custom art, and a gorgeous cover

Books are becoming more like collector items, and they’re increasingly more beautiful. I’ve thought for the past decade or more that cover design has been truly incredible for YA books and fantasy, but now it feels like every major bookseller has their own exclusive edition that’s uniquely gorgeous. I never considered myself a book collector insomuch as a book hoarder, but I’ve been jumping on the bandwagon and shelling out for special editions with sprayed edges when they go on sale.

If any of my books got the foiled lettering, sprayed edges, and inner artwork, I’d freak out. As much as I’d like Son of the Siren to get this, I’d be ridiculously happy if my trilogy, The Name and the Key, got the special treatment.

Fan art and fan fiction

Over the years I’ve seen beautiful fan art for a variety of works (probably my favorites are for The Cruel Prince by Holly Black). Fans are incredibly talented and they show their love for you through creation. If someone made fan art of my characters, I’d explode from the joy of it. The same thing goes for fan fiction. It’s a sign that readers care enough about the characters or story to prolong the magic through their own adaptations and imaginations. If fan works were made from my books, I’d truly feel like I’d made it. It’s the ultimate connection to your readers.

Being an official guest at a convention

I love going to conventions, but I’ve only really done anime/pop culture/comic conventions. I love cosplaying, but I also love giving my fanfiction/publishing panel at cons, too. Anime conventions have been very generous with me by letting me present writing panels centered around fan works, but I’d like to also be able to step out of that for a little bit to talk about writing in general, particularly writing fantasy.

I’ve been doing it myself at cons since 2012, and I’ve never had the clout to be a guest. I also haven’t had the money to appear at events as an author in the dealer’s room, selling books to fans (I’d have to buy the books, the swag, pay fees to the convention, etc.). But one day I would like to be a guest and appear on a panel for my expertise, or sell out my books, or give writing workshops, or all of the above. And I know that guests shouldn’t cosplay because fans might want to take pictures with them as their actual selves, but I would still love to make cosplay a part of the con, even as a guest.

Have congoers cosplay a character from my books

This is right up there with fan works, but there’s something incredibly special when someone interprets your character visually and brings them to life through the art of costume. I’m a fan of costumes and cosplay myself, and it would be a huge honor if someone dressed as one of my characters. I would take so many pictures!

Win a snazzy award

I’ve entered a few contests with Son of the Siren and never placed or hit long lists. I’m still waiting on one contest to see if anything positive will happen, but I won’t know for a while, and I’m not holding my breath. But there’s something about winning an award for your work that feels incredibly validating. I would love to win a Hugo or Nebula in my lifetime, or even a Goodreads Choice Awards. I think the longest shot would be winning the Ursula K. Le Guin prize for fiction. But if you’re going to have dreams, might as well dream big.

Have my books turned into an anime series

I am a huge fan of anime. I like the aesthetic, I like the storytelling, I like the soundtracks, and more. It would be one of the greatest dreams to ever come true if a company like Kyoto Animation contacted me to animate one of my novels.

I think Son of the Siren would be perfect for anime, and I even have some voice actors picked out. Yoshimasa Hosoya would play Lirien–he is incredibly talented and has a beautiful singing voice. Mariya Ise would play Kitra–she has performed a wide variety of roles, including young boys, girls, and women, and Kitra always had a sort of alto voice in my head, so I think Mariya would do well. Lastly, Brandegil would be played by Yuki Kaji. Yuki has voiced famous characters, and his voice has an incredible range. I think he could capture Brandegil’s emotions, from gruff to caring. Also, Yuki can sing!

If this ever would to happen, I’d probably start bawling my eyes out from shock and indescribable happiness.

Merchandise

I would love to see Etsy artists and major companies alike dive in and create some merch from my book series. Beautiful bookmarks, embroidered sweatshirts, art prints, jewelry, tee shirts, you name it. I know this can get into licensing issues, but it would be a great hope of mine to see merchandise on many levels, not just limited to the major players. If I saw stuff related to my books in places like Lit Joy and the Literary Emporium, I’d feel so flattered. And then I’d probably try to buy everything.

Hit a major bestseller list

I’m thinking the New York Times or USA Today would be great to hit. But I know they are curated lists (while USA Today is closer to reflecting actual sales) and that it isn’t necessarily literal bestsellers that make the list. Reporting isn’t always accurate; not every mode of publication is accepted; and there’s a tendency to overlook self-published and independently published authors (although USA Today is better about this). People say that authors hit bestseller lists all the time, and that “everyone is a New York Times Bestseller,” which simply isn’t true. I want to hit these lists for two reasons: clout, and proof that my books can move copies.

Teach creative writing at a college

Right now, I teach English Composition. I really like academic writing and I always did well in the subject, but my MFA is a type of creative writing degree. In every school I’ve taught, the full time faculty has gotten dibs on the type of English courses available, so creative writing gets snatched up very quickly.

To be honest, teaching creative writing is totally different from academic writing, and I’m not sure I’d even be good at it, but I would certainly love to try.

Not run out of writing ideas EVER

Many writers have a fountain of ideas in their head. Many writers have several books living in their minds, and multiple projects just waiting to be written.

At this point in my life, I am not like this. My brain has the capacity to hold The Name and the Key and its trilogy, and no other story is getting in. I have had no eureka moment for something to write later.

I think the last time I was overflowing with ideas was when I was in middle school. Ever year after that, it’s slowly descended into crickets. If I was an author with a plethora of ideas, I think I could write for the rest of my life…which is what I would love to do.

Write full time – no side hustles, no day jobs

So…yeah, I’m an adjunct instructor (I’d like to call myself a professor, but there’s a hierarchy thing with that and I don’t think I qualify). I teach writing. I, for the most part, enjoy teaching writing, but the thing I hate about it the most is grading–which is necessary for students as they need feedback. That, and time management. I’ve never been able to figure out a work-life-writing balance as long as I’m busy teaching.

Honestly, I’d prefer writing full time. But I’ve never made enough money to do this, and it’s a huge gamble. I’d have to keep coming up with ideas, I’d have to get advances large enough to support myself, decent royalties, and move many copies of books. I would have to be well known in my genre, at the very least. I’d also have to be extremely self-disciplined and devote a certain amount of hours every day to writing, as it would be my full-time job. This would be very challenging for me, but the reward of not having to overwork myself, develop workplace-related anxiety, and juggle everything at once, would be worth it.