5-years ago today, I published No Fraternizing – part 1 to a series I had no plans of making a series to begin with. I’d written the stories years before, after I’d gone to the barbershop with my boyfriend (who is now my husband) and I became fascinated with the barbershop environment. My mind has always focused on the what ifs of situations, and my visit to that barbershop inspired the storyline for No Fraternizing. I wrote the story by hand, one of the last stories I’ve ever written by hand, and the story became my first self-published story.

I started my self-publishing journey with No Fraternizing, but honestly; I didn’t know a thing about self-publishing in the summer of 2015. After publishing that story, I took a year to submerge myself in learning everything there was to learn about self-publishing. A year later, in 2016, with my newfound knowledge of self-publishing, I released 4 stories including part 2 of No Fraternizing. No Fraternizing, pt. 2 led to part 3, which spun off into They Call Me Mello. It’s amazing what can come from a story that was less than 100 pages.

The growth experienced since No Fraternizing has amazed me. My understanding of storytelling and my love of creating has grown even more, and I’ve added so many new characters with varying personalities to my catalogue. I didn’t imagine I’d be able to do that. I started creating short stories in high school and throughout college, but I honestly didn’t think there would be anything past No Fraternizing. So seeing where I am now in my journey makes me proud. I’m 20+ books in with plans to release another book this month and it all started with No Fraternizing.

No Fraternizing is where I feel humbled. This story is where my self-publishing roots are planted. Love it or hate it, it’s my baby, where I learned valuable lessons and where my growth as an author began. Happy Book Birthday to a real one.