In 2011, after having devoured the Twilight series, I had difficulty finding another book that I enjoyed just as much that was also an easy read. Reading was my escape from working in a high stress job all day and then coming home to be a mother and housewife. At that time, I had four children ten years old and younger. I am a very active and involved mother; a member of the community. I needed books that were quick to read.
I asked everyone I knew if they had book recommendations. After continually searching, a friend introduced me to NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month). She told me, if you can’t find a book to read, write it. I did my research and wanted to go for it, but I still wasn’t convinced I actually could. To convince me, she sent me a different book series she received as a beta reader. She told me to read it. She said it was a very easy read. I began to read it having no idea what I was getting into. As I began to read this new series, it soon began to frustrate me. The content was very adult, but the writing was very juvenile. When I spoke to her about it, her response was what made me decide to put pen down on paper. “You know you could write better than this. You need to do it.” I spoke to my husband about it. About this horribly written book with great content that I was reading. I reminded him of my dreams to be a writer myself. I told him about NaNoWriMo and my friend who not only believed I could do it but insisted that I do. He agreed to help with the kids more so that I could follow this dream. November 1, 2011, I began the very first draft of Candle Lake. Originally, Candle Lake was like all the other books of that time. It involved a love triangle and the angst that came with it. I pushed boundaries to include elements that were slowly moving from taboo to mainstream. There was one element in the story that I wanted to give more attention to, but I wasn’t sure how to do that without making the book extremely long while keeping the romance and keeping it as an easy read. I successfully completed NaNoWriMo and finished the first draft of Candle Lake. I spent months editing it. When I was satisfied with what I had I started to reach out to traditional publishers. I had one who took interest in my story and asked that I make some changes. I agreed with her suggestions, but I did not have the time to devote to it to make the deadline she wanted. I was then suggested to shelve it and let it sit. Over the years I watched that poorly written book skyrocket to success. I watched as others jumped on that train, writing books with similar content. I continued my search for books that were quick to read that held my attention. I shifted my focus to being a book reviewer and beta reader. I participated in writing challenges and started a “serial” on my website. Candle Lake sat for YEARS. Neglected but never forgotten. Ten years later I made the decision that it had sat for long enough. When I came back to it, I made the decision to remove the love triangle. To expand on the angst of the first true love. To expand on that element that fascinated me that I wanted present in my story. There was always a strong element of telepathy in Candle Lake, but I wanted to take this further. To explore the possibilities of a dream world. I have always been fascinated with lucid dreaming. People speak of lucid dreaming, of being in control of the narrative and the characters in their dreams. I wanted to explore this phenomenon. And I wanted to take it further. I wanted to draw my readers into the mystery and suspense all while having them fall in love with the characters. I deleted many, many scenes and added many more. I spent one and a half years rewriting Candle Lake to get the story I wanted to tell. I decided that I would self-publish instead of seeking a traditional publisher. This decision was made simply because I am impatient and did not want to send out query letters and wait! I decided to find an editor to work with to polish Candle Lake. I worked with Alex on editing Candle Lake to get it to where it is today. Published and available for readers around the world! If you would like to stay updated, you can follow me on these social media platforms through my linktree: https://linktr.ee/sweeterae
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