I’m not the greatest with timelines; however, I think I’ve finally figured out that I started writing my first book when I was sixteen – which was seven years ago. I remember I was sitting in my cosmetology class with a girl who I got into reading romance and was throwing ideas at her. She was giving me a pedicure while I had a notebook (which I still have) on my lap jotting notes down. I was coming up with “what if” scenarios and asking her for her opinion. I wrote them all down because at that time I didn’t know what would be good and what wouldn’t. To be frank, I still don’t know what would be good and what wouldn’t while writing – but I can’t let self-doubt settle inside me or else I’ll never hit publish.
Now – I always like to think about what inspired the idea for my first unfinished book. It all started with a damaged heroine and a sexy lawyer. I’ve always enjoyed law, I almost went to school to become a lawyer, and thought – too much school and dedication to a job that never stops. What I could do though – without the debt and stress? Write a novel with a sexy as hell lawyer alongside a heroine that is relatable and dealing with some heavy trauma. As much as I love a hot intelligent hero – I love a heroine that is inspiring and can provide hope to readers more. So yeah, that story still has a great foundation – sixteen year old Alexandria was onto something. However, that novel has been sitting closed at about twelve thousand words since I was sixteen.
That was seven years ago, and although those characters still need their stories told, life got in the way. Being in high school, I got swept away into relationships, friendships, and whatever else decides to be thrown into the mix. I didn’t write for the rest of my high school career after hitting those twelve thousand words. Which I definitely regret; how cool would it have been to publish in high school and see where I would be now? Alas, I don’t have a time machine to jump into and find out. Regardless, once I finished high school, my passion for reading romance was still thriving, alongside the little nagging of wanting to write. I pursued a degree in English literature and about two years in, I thought “What am I waiting for?”
Well, I graduated university in 2020 and am finally publishing the novel that I started writing in my second year of university. My debut novel, Hot for the Principal, which was originally No Interruptions, came to me out of the blue while on the Toronto subway listening to “Hot for Teacher” by Van Halen. It’s wild to me that as a writer, we can become inspired by the smallest thing. And now, two years after graduating I’m getting ready to publish my first book. Sometimes dreams take time, nothing happens overnight.
If you’ve got a story, in any genre, begging to be told – do it. The worst thing that could come from not doing it is the regret to know you could have.
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Xo,
Alexandria G.