My Kind (of) America
Three years ago, if someone had told me I would be a writer someday, I would have laughed out loud. But life has a way of putting us in unexpected situations, while it sits back, popcorn in hand to see what we do in those situations. I quit my day job four years back to become a SAHM. Blogging helped maintain my sanity in those crazy, sleep deprived months which every new parent goes through.
I didn't know what to write about then. I tried my voice with everything I could think of - parenting, recipes, fashion(shudder!). My blog was truly a "Mixed Bag". Then one day, yes it was exactly that, one day, I stumbled across this wonderful writing group which gave me direction, the voice I was looking for. If you're a writer and haven't checked out YeahWrite, please remedy the situation immediately.
I immersed myself into writing fiction, it was such a delicious escape from the real world! It still is. But on rare occasions, I write personal essays. When I first came to America, I volunteered as a literacy tutor at the local library. Many years later, I wrote about it. I submitted it to "Chicken Soup for the Soul" on a whim. It was an uplifting story, maybe they would like it. I submitted it and promptly forgot about it.
Imagine my surprise six months later, when I got an email from one of the editors at Chicken Soup with news that I had made it to the final round of edits to their anthology titled "My Kind America"! I worked with the editors on some minor edits and finally, tomorrow is the day when "Chicken Soup for the Soul - My Kind (of) America" hits stores.
Yours truly is at #91!
It is such a dream come true. This is why you should submit your writing, you never know who might read it and like it!