The Origin of Highway to Heaven
Highway to Heaven and I go a long way back! It all began when my professor gave us the option of doing a library assignment or submitting a story written by us. Of course, I chose the latter assignment since I loved to write stories...but hold up! 🤔Highway to Heaven was *originally* written years before that when I was taking a creative writing course. We were told to write at least three pages, but my story was seven pages long. Boy, was I happy that I could use that assignment years later! I got to pecking on my word processor, retyping Highway to Heaven, and making corrections. I was very pleased to see the A/100 but even happier when my professor pulled me to the side after class. She told me that she could see me being a published author one day, and she really liked my story. She inspired me so much!
The road to getting published was filled with procrastination and distractions, but my mindset was my biggest roadblock. I thought the traditional route to publication was the only way, and I kept telling myself that I had to wait for the *perfect* time. Decades flew by before I realized that day would never come. If I wanted to get my books published, I would have to change my thinking and jump out there on faith.
In 2018, I finally seized the moment and self-published The Sky is the Limit. I was happy and I felt like there was no limit to how far I could go! Once I made up my mind that I was going to get my books published, it's like all the pieces came together and my daughter volunteered to illustrate The Sky is the Limit. My second book- Love, Heartbreaks, Epiphanies, and Joy: A poetry collection was also published in 2018. I revised it in 2020. In 2019, I self-published Extra 'Nessa and I was really blown away by my daughter's beautiful illustrations! In 2020, I published my first novelette (Wake-up call). I will share the story behind it later. I will just say that it started off as a short story just like Highway to Heaven. My plan was to include both in a short story compilation. Funny how Wake-up call surpassed the word count for that of a short story, and Highway to Heaven is no longer a short story...no longer a novelette...It is my FIRST NOVEL!!!! As I type these words, I still cannot believe it. I went from seven pages to now over two hundred pages. I am very proud of myself. My family has enjoyed listening to this story and I am sure that many of you will too...if you give it a chance.😊👇🏽
https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/highway-to-heaven-7