I remember in 2013 that I desperately wanted what I have now. From 2010-2013 I was in graduate school for the Writing Popular Fiction MFA at Seton Hill University, and by the end of my program, I hungered for an agent, a publisher, and a book deal for my graduate thesis.

As soon as I graduated, I didn’t wait–I started querying immediately, and got rejections (nice ones)…but I realized quickly the book wasn’t ready. It wasn’t the strongest it could be, and it was also problematic because I committed cultural appropriation (even though I hadn’t intended to. To pull a quote that I can’t source, “intent does not equal impact”). Anyway, my thesis was a mess, and to work on other projects instead, I shelved it.

Fast forward to 2025, and I finally have accomplished all three: agent, publisher, and book deal for The Name and the Key. It only took…12 years. What is time, anyway? Although I wish this would’ve happened sooner in my life, it looks like it was only meant to happen now. I know that my writing back then was nowhere near as strong as it is now, and again, my thesis had some major issues in it, so I’m better off things happening the when, why, and way they actually happened.

I can remember how desperate I was to be an “author,” not just a “writer.” These words are used interchangeably, but I always considered a writer to be someone who writes, and an author being a published writer. I was obsessed with being the latter.

The longer it was taking, the less confidence I had in myself. I thought the day would never come. When Son of the Siren caught the attention of my agent Rick Lewis, I couldn’t stop squealing “yay!” when I got The Call. It was kind of embarrassing, looking back on it now, because I did it so many times. But I was so consumed with happiness I forgot how to English properly.

When I went on sub, pretty much everyone objected to Son of the Siren, except for one (and all you need is one!). Kim Ostrom of Oliver Heber Books snatched it up and became my editor. I signed my contract, and suddenly things were very, very real. And as for The Name and the Key, sometimes talking about yourself on social media can indeed help, because the head of OHB saw that I was writing a book, and suddenly out of that came the three-book-deal.

The me off 2013 wanted this so badly and couldn’t picture it happening this way. The me of 2025 is incredibly grateful.