At the age of fourteen, I published my first book, The Legend of Amanda Robins. You are probably thinking that is mind-blowing. It kind of is, I’ll admit that. I try to be humble.

Writing was something in me that I did not know was in me. It evolved from many things. My elementary school in New York educated its students into being able to write stories. I watched a lot of movies with my dad. As a child, I had always loved to read. Books were my escape from reality. On Sundays, when I would go out with my family, I would bring a book with me just in case I would be able to find time to read.

It wasn’t until I started writing The Legend of Amanda Robins that I realized I liked writing. The Legend of Amanda Robins is purely based off of my childhood imagination and I always wanted to write it into a book and someday publish it. And I did.

Two years later, I published my second book called Escape. After publishing The Legend of Amanda Robins, I had no second book in mind. Yet, things have a funny way of happening. Escape originated from a dream I had which was so realistic that I had to write it. I usually don’t remember my dreams too, yet I remembered this one and from a short story, I ended up developing it into an entire book.

At the age of sixteen, I had already published two books. Sometimes, I think about it and I barely even believe it today. As a child, I imagined myself being an author sometimes, not taking it seriously back then, but imagine if I had to go back in time and tell my younger self that I really would become an author in my teenage years … I probably wouldn’t believe myself.

However, throughout the years, I doubted my credibility as a writer. Was I good enough? Am I only joking myself? Self-doubt really is a horrible thing to experience. Yet, I overcame it because I became aware that yes, I am a writer and I love to write. Writing is my way of expression. When I say, “I am a writer”, I say so with so much confidence because I truly believe it.

Today, I am writing my third book called Cold and Dark and compared to my first two books, this one is different. I have now grown older and my writing has improved. Cold and Dark is something that marvels me. It developed with me. It was once a baby, it grew into a child and at the moment it’s a teenager, yet it will develop furthermore into an adult. And I am so excited for that moment to come.