Guest Post - G. R. Lyons

I got into writing novels purely by accident. After I was raped, I found the most therapeutic way to handle the trauma was to write it all down, to spill it into a fictional life, so that it became both part of me and a separate, tangible thing that I could use to suck out all the pain I was carrying around. In the midst of that self-therapy, I discovered a love for writing stories after having spent years wondering what was missing from my life, since I had no real career goals, no real passions, no real desires to do anything with my life. So, the worst thing that ever happened to me turned into the best thing, because I can't imagine my life without my stories or my characters. I love building fantasy worlds to take both myself and my readers out of the real world for a little while, and I love telling stories that will hopefully move people and also open their eyes to other ways of thinking at the same time. There's so much excitement to the writing process, from that first hint of a new idea, all the way through to that validating moment when the paperback proof copy is in my hands – something real and tangible that started in my head and my heart and is now embodied in a physical format. The beauty of being self-published is that I have complete control – my words, my way, on my schedule – but also all the responsibility, and I'll openly admit that I completely fail at the marketing aspect of things. However, even though I'd love for writing to one day be a full-time career, money really isn't the point. It's all about sharing my stories, and putting my beloved characters into readers' hands, and those little moments of getting feedback, when readers tell me how much they enjoyed my books, that make it all worth it.