Greetings! My name is Lydia Sherrer, and I want to thank Janell for her warm welcome as I write this guest post for her blog.
I’m an author, I write for a living. Well, I write…still working on the living part. I’m a linguist by training, an IT specialist by work experience, and a wife by blessed circumstance. Of the many things I thought I would be when I “grew up,” author was never one of them. Yet here I am, launching a kickstarter campaign to help fund the publishing of my debut novel series: Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus – the Lily Singer Adventures.
I’ve been telling stories my whole life. Do you remember all those hours spent pretending when you were a kid? The woods were your fantasy wilderness, the blanket-covered box your spaceship, the tree-house your castle. As an avid reader, it was natural to start writing down my imagined adventures, but I never thought of using them. Writing was simply expressing life and what it taught me in story form.
Yet, life has a funny way of taking you where you least expect it. From my first tentative steps learning the craft of writing to becoming my own boss and self-publishing several novels, life has taught me truths that will safeguard me for years to come.
We all need Heroes
I love this quote from one of my favorite authors, C.S. Lewis
We all need heroes in our lives to inspire, to show the way. Life is hard, and sometimes heartbreaking. Where would we be without heroes to look up to, both fictional, historical, and in our own lives? Find heroes that fill you with hope and determination, whose example guides you and adds wisdom to your life. Find them for yourself and for your children, your family, your friends.
Friends and Family are Vital: Treat Them Well
I could have never, ever gotten this far without the unfailing love and support of my family and friends. They have encouraged me when I wanted to give up, added their strength when I was weak, and given invaluable advice when I didn’t know which way to turn. People are the most important parts of our lives. Not things, not achievements, but people. In our crowded, busy, tech absorbed world, don’t let your relationships slip into disrepair. Make time for the people you love above all else, and make time to meet new people. Maybe you are that friend someone else desperately needs. Love, for life is nothing without love.
Doing What You Love Is Worth It
This quote speaks to my heart
Life is about so much more than just existing. It’s about loving, building, and creating. It’s about making a difference, doing good, and fighting for a better world. I quit my secure day job in IT to forge my own way as an author. It has been scary, stressful, exhausting, and the most wonderful thing I’ve ever done in my life. I didn’t make the decision lightly. I waited a long time, to make sure I was prepared, before taking that step. But I was always working toward it, always hoping, always dreaming. Don’t ever be afraid to dream. Be patient, be wise, but don’t stop dreaming.
These truths are not just evident in my own life, but in the life of the main character of my books, Lily Singer. Lily is an awkward, bookish wizard who works as the archives manager of a college library in modern day Atlanta. She’s estranged from her family, and searching for clues to understand who she was, who she is, and who she’s supposed to be. I explore the realities of friendship, trust, duty, and truth through the exciting adventures of Lily, her witch friend, and her talking cat. It’s a story full of magic and snarky humor, and it is my dream come true.
Do you like to read? Do you like to dream? Do you enjoy supporting creative projects and helping dreams become reality? Check out my kickstarter project where you can pre-order the Love, Lies, and Hocus Pocus books as well as get other great rewards (disclaimer: an irresistibly cute kitty shows up in the introduction video. You have been warned).
Thanks for reading! You can learn more about me and my books at lydiasherrer.com/my-writing, or sign up for my newsletter at lydiasherrer.com/subscribe.
Never stop loving or dreaming. For when you do, you stop living.