How a Single Book Sparked my Writing Journey

Sometimes, all it takes is one story to plant a seed that grows quietly for years.
For me, that story was A Quick Bite by Lynsay Sands.

I first read it when I was around fourteen or fifteen — just a teenager who loved to daydream and escape into other worlds. I didn’t know then how deeply that book would take root. It wasn’t only the story that captured me, but the way Lynsay Sands brought her characters to life — full of humor, heart, and humanity.

That was the moment she became my hero, my inspiration — the author who made me fall in love with storytelling.

After reading A Quick Bite, I couldn’t stop writing. I started small — poetry, song lyrics, little snippets of dialogue that came to me in quiet moments.
By my senior year of high school, those snippets turned into short stories.

But life has a way of testing the dreamers. There were years when writing had to wait — when responsibilities, exhaustion, and real-world noise drowned out the words. Still, the love for stories never left. It stayed there, like a whisper waiting to be heard again.

Then, two years ago, I met her.
Aurora “Rory” — fiery, curious, and braver than she realized.
The moment she appeared, everything clicked. She wasn’t just another character on a page; she was the story I’d been searching for all along.

Through Rory, the Wildwoods came to life — lush, mysterious, and alive with magic. It was the first time I didn’t want to stop writing. I finally understood what it meant to fall in love with your own story.

Now, holding Whispers of the Wildwoods in my hands, I can see how every step — from reading A Quick Bite as a teenager, to writing poems in the margins of notebooks, to rediscovering my voice through Rory — was part of the same journey.

It reminds me that inspiration doesn’t disappear; sometimes it just waits until you’re ready to find it again.

To anyone reading this: never stop chasing the stories that call to you, no matter how long they take to find you.
Because one day, you might meet a character, or step into a world that changes everything.