I am finally making my dream a reality. For several years I’ve been sitting on a story swirling around in my head and have shared with only a handful of very close family and friends that I actually wanted to write a book. So this week, I arranged time with a writing coach and have started the journey.

I had a few chapters, nothing fancy, and a very simple outline of some scenes that I knew happened, but that is all. I didn’t know the ending and I didn’t even know all of the character names when I started, but my coach assured me I didn’t need to have all the answers, only the desire and motivation. So here I am, in a tiny little mountain town in Alabama, in a sweet little rustic cabin with my mentor and now friend, Cheryl Lewis. It’s funny how you can just spend a few days with someone and feel like you’ve known them forever. For someone who does not trust easily and rarely lets her guard down (me), I have found myself willing to be open and vulnerable and I credit Cheryl for that for her style and encouraging manner. I want to learn and I want to be great at writing.

It’s a scary thing, letting someone else read your creation and critique it. I’ve had a successful career in corporate America for nearly 20 years now, but this is the most nervous I’ve ever felt about sharing a project I’ve worked on. I think I would rather stand up in front of thousands of people to present than let them read what I wrote, but then if I’m afraid to let people read my book, what’s the point in writing it? Cheryl is equipping me with the tools and plan necessary to be able to hone my skills, to create a strategy and to execute on my goal to become a successful writer. It’s not just a bucket list item for me – it’s a way to share my Persian heritage and culture, it’s a new way to challenge myself and my creativity and ultimately it’s a springboard to be able to give back in a big way and help others in this world.

So thank you for reading. Thank you for supporting me in this adventure and coming along for the ride. I hope I am able to entertain you, not only with the book itself, but as I figure out my way…