Hello World!

Hello, world! That seems like the appropriate title to this first post. I need to introduce myself. I am Gemma K. Murray, the alter-ego of a woman who likes to keep her private life, well, private. I am married and have five furry kids to keep our lives busy. *Takes a deep breath* I am also an author. A dream that I never thought would come true.

I've been writing since I was about 11 or 12. In my senior year of high school, I had an English teacher who planted the seedling in my brain that maybe, just maybe, I could write. Family struggles ensued as they often do and the dream of being a writer got put on the back burner. It was about 10 years ago that I was feeling lost. I didn't know what I wanted to do or who I wanted to be. My husband looked at me and asked, "What is it that you've always wanted to do?" Without hesitation, I replied, "I want to be an author." His response was, "So? Write!" I bought notebooks, pens and started writing. The words poured out of the pens and across the paper. It was amazing the worlds that came out.

The folders filled with papers began to line the shelves of my cabinet. One day, my husband asked, "What are you going to do with those?" I simply shrugged and said, "I don't know. Publish them someday, I guess." I never dreamed that I would be good enough to be published.

I finally got up the nerve to submit a manuscript to a few publishers, but the lack of/negative remarks can certainly discourage a person from pursuing this dream. A couple of author friends told me to keep at it. Their words encouraged me. I asked a friend to tell me where I went wrong and here I am today...An author.

J.K. Rowling says it best: "It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might not have lived at all- in which case you fail by default."