Writing professionally began for me in 2002. As an elementary school teacher, I decided to pursue writing for children. If you’re an author pursuing traditional publication, then you know the determination required to achieve it.

My writing career expanded beyond writing for children, and throughout the submissions, rejections, and publishing successes, I quit my teaching job. My husband and two children, however, still needed to eat and we only had one income. I spent a year perfecting a variety of strategies to help save money, keep us completely out of debt, and find the best deals on items we used on a regular basis.

I had many conversations with people who asked me how I saved so much money, allowing my family to thrive on one income. During these conversations, I felt frustrated because there was so much information that I couldn’t communicate just in a conversation.

After one of these encounters, I went to sleep that night, only to wake up a few hours later and think I am a writer, I could write about it.

So that’s what I did! And instead of playing the Submit-Wait-Rejection game with traditional publishing houses and editors, I chose to self-publish my book through Booklocker, a reputable self-publishing company.