I didn’t set out to be a writer.

I became an author by following my dream of being a costume designer.

For as long as I can remember, I've loved playing dress up. I spent my childhood recreating the costumes (and dance numbers) from Hollywood musicals (my faves being Annie, My Fair Lady, and White Christmas--clearly I love a rags to riches story. And a makeover!).

After graduating from college (BA Communications, UCLA) I bounced around waiting tables and interning in costume departments on low-budget movie sets, trying to figure out how to make my dream a reality. It was tough going. Eventually, I decided costuming was too unstable and movie set hours weren’t for me, so

I pivoted and went back to school for fashion design.

My fashion degree (Professional Designation, Fashion Design, FIDM) led to a job as an assistant designer at an upscale Old Hollywood inspired lingerie brand that was starting a dress line. Perfect! I got to travel the world and see my designs in stores from Nordstrom to Anthropologie.

But then the economy tanked, and we merged with a larger company.

The new company asked me to abandon design and start a bridal lingerie and sleepwear ecommerce website.

It wasn’t my dream job, but I felt lucky to have a job. I got the site up and running, but some combination of keywords I used triggered the Google algorithm to accuse me of selling mail-order brides. Human trafficking!

Google banned me (and the entire company) from running ads for life.

Somehow, I didn’t get fired, but I still needed to drive traffic to the site.

So, I decided to write a fictional blog about a girl who worked at a lingerie company who was planning her wedding (using lots of bridal lingerie keywords for SEO purposes).

When I started writing, though, I realized I needed to know who this guy was she was marrying! Relying heavily on my real-life experience as a shy twenty-something in Hollywood (and because the first thing you write is often the most autobiographical), I backed up and told Olivia Bloom and Berkeley Dalton’s love story.

And that’s when I fell in love with storytelling.

I'd always been a reader (shout out to some of my book BFF's: Anne with an "e", Sunfire girls Roxanne, Danielle, Nicole, Amanda, and Caroline, Shari Cooper, Kit Tyler, Elizabeth & Jessica Wakefield...) But it never occurred to me that I was a writer. As I wrote and posted two chapters a week to “The Bloom Blog”, though, the story took over my life. The characters would wake me up in the middle of the night and I started getting up at dawn to write.

Now, I am historically a timid, shy, doesn’t take up space, throat chakra blocked, person.

I can be a loner and am quite happy living in an imaginary world. Stories need readers to make them whole, though. And I was having so much fun, I wanted readers (who weren’t related to me or imaginary) to come play, to experience the story with me.

To make that happen, I had to face my fears. I needed to ask for help.

I gathered my courage and (even though I was dying from embarrassment) asked Sara Bareilles (who I knew from UCLA) if she would tweet about my blog. My cheeks burn even thinking about that HUGE ask, now! But she is the kindest person EVER and said yes.

I’m pretty sure that’s the only way my tiny band of readers found me.

And I’m so grateful to them! They kept me going.

For me, writing is a constant battle with fear. But knowing they were waiting for the next chapter, forced me to push through.

And along the way, I decided I didn’t want to just drive traffic to the lingerie website, I wanted to get the word out about all of my talented friends.

I incorporated music from bands I was a fan of along with friends’ bands (my husband was in a band called The Remainers, and they agreed to let me quote their lyrics).

I also ran weekly contests where readers could design outfits for Liv (the main character) to wear. The lingerie design team then voted on the winner, the winning outfit was written into the story, and the reader won lingerie (or gear from other brands and friends I collaborated with).

And I took the blog transmedia, getting some (very generous) friends to help me live-tweet as nine of the characters in real time.

The blog took nine months to write and when the story ended; I realized I had written a novel.

I’d had so much fun writing (aside from the sheer terror, facing fear part), I happily dove into rewriting the entire blog as a book with the intention of self-publishing it.

The Universe had other plans for me though...

Ultimately, I ended up getting a three-book-deal.

And then the real journey began.

But that’s another story...

That ends up here. Thirteen years, six books, and three kids later, I am again embarking on a self-publishing journey.

We’ll see what the Universe has in store for me this time.

(Ugh. More facing fear? I am NOT asking Sara B for help again, Universe. Been there, done that. If you want this message to find her, that’s on you!) ;)

The one thing I know for sure, is that if you’re a reader who feels aligned with fun, uplifting love stories, a you can "make it come true" attitude, a touch of magical thinking, and a killer wardrobe, I’d really love for you to come play with me.

xoxo,

Katie

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