Hello everyone! My name is Danielle Renee Wallace. I’m nineteen, and I’ve published five books. Today I’m going to be talking about my author journey!
Originally, I never planned to be an author. Unlike some, it wasn’t something I dreamed of since I was a little girl who was learning to read. The thing is, it just happened. A series of random events lined up to make me write—and write to publish.
Let’s back up a bit. When I was thirteen, I started writing for fun. I had a friend that I wrote to, and I started mailing her letters pretending to be a fictional young lady in the 1840s. After some time, we made a fake 1840s newspaper too. Since some newspapers have a work of fiction inside for the reader’s enjoyment, I casually made up a scene and put it in a column.
I don’t think I planned to write any additional scenes. But my friend sent me a newspaper and continued the story where I’d left off. We alternated writing it, and I instantly realized how amazing storytelling is. After that, I never could stop.
About a year later, my dad found an online contest where you had to write a short story based off a prompt. Excited by the opportunity, I created a story and submitted it.
I didn’t win.
Not wanting to give up, I continued a couple more times. Just like the first time, I didn’t triumph over the second contest. The third opportunity came, and can you guess what happened? I didn’t win then either!
By that point, I realized there was one writer that kept winning the competition again and again. Now, considering I’m a mystery author, maybe I’m getting carried away, but something about the same person winning almost every time seems like a strange coincidence to me.
I actually got an email from that company recently, and that same author is still cleaning house on the competitions!
Fast forward to January of 2018. I stumbled upon an article on the internet. This article was about self‐publishing, and it caught my interest. Reading it, I realized I didn’t want to have a publisher. I mean, J.K. Rowling submitted Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone to a dozen publishers before she was accepted. With self‐publishing, I could be my own producer—if I was willing to oversee literally everything. But to me, that’s the joy of being my publisher! I love managing everything!
I recall seeing my dad the day that I read the article, and I casually told him I was going to publish a book. He didn’t give me a weird expression like I was crazy or anything (even though I was fourteen). Instead, he was completely supportive! Thankfully, my family has always believed in my author career.
So, about five months later, I’d published my first book—and at fourteen‐years‐old!
You may be curious about what I wrote while participating in the story contests. If you’d like to read one of the works, you can. That short story became the first chapter in my debut book, Lydia Arlington and the Aquarian Mystery. If you would have told me that my short story which was under 1,000 words would become a whole book, and then an entire series, I would have been stunned.
So here I am, talking to you over four years after taking the leap of publishing my debut. What’s the lesson in all this? Well, we can’t predict the future. Sometimes life takes us by surprise, making us walk a path we never saw coming. And if we’re willing to work, there’s so much we may accomplish!
Currently, I’m the author of a mystery series and a fantasy series, and I have more stories coming up in the future. I’m planning to release a 14th century historical fiction novel, and a Christian fiction book!
Interested in my published works? Here’s some info:
My YA fantasy series, Blood Flows Blue, is about a medieval girl with a life‐threatening secret. After Soltaria is exposed, she flees her country, sailing for her life. What’s she hiding? It’s something everyone reading this tale relates to…
My mystery series, Secrets of the Abandoned Bus introduces three friends finding intriguing clues in an unusual place. Not only do the sleuths uncover their town’s enigmas, but they also discover some surprising secrets in their own lives. The books are about true friendship, weathering the storm, and never giving up.
Want to learn more? Find my books here:
https://www.daniellereneewallace.com/books.html
I would like to thank Mariella for kindly having me as a guest writer on her blog! It’s been lovely meeting her, and this is such a fun thing. I really appreciate the opportunity she’s given me!
Happy writing and reading!
Joyfully,
Danielle Renee Wallace
Mariella Hunt 