It’s up to you to create the life of your dreams.

My dream always had been to become a novelist. If that’s yours too, the most important thing I tell aspiring writers is just that: Don’t give up. And no matter what, keep writing. Like I told Sarah Connell during our interview, read the entire piece here, if I had given up, I’d still be wondering what if.

Perseverance pays off.

“For as long as I can remember, I wanted to be a writer. When I was in third grade we had to write a letter to the person who you wanted to be when you grew up. I wrote a letter to Robert McCloskey, my favorite author, of my favorite books Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal. Mr. McCloskey wrote me back noting he was an illustrator, not an author, but “good luck with that.” Very inspiring, right? The fun thing is I still have his letter in a scrapbook, and despite his less than stellar encouragement, I knew what I wanted to become. But it took me a while. After a career in marketing, four kids, and a nonfiction book for women entrepreneurs, I finally did what I encouraged entrepreneurial women across the country to do for themselves: put your passion into action. It’s never too late to live the life of your dreams. I published my first novel, HERE, HOME, HOPE, in my mid-forties. That’s a long time from third grade: but boy, does it feel good.”
~ Excerpt from Thrive Global

And so does defining your brand.

I also believe, whether you’re a traditionally, independently or not yet published, whether you’re a new author or a seasoned pro, there is a truth in publishing today you cannot ignore. In order to be successful you have to build your author brand. The good news is, for a brand to truly, deeply resonate with customers, it has to be based on something genuine – yourself. Being successful in this business, as with any other entrepreneurial pursuit, is all about being the real you.