www.inspyromance.com
Hello, Inspy Romance Readers. Let me introduce myself. I’m Debra Lynn Collins, and I’m one of the new kids on the block. As for myself, I use the word ‘kid’ very loosely.
I have a question for all of you, is there something you’ve always dreamed of doing?
Everybody has dreams. Rather they’re big or small ALL of our dreams are an important part of our lives.
I’m here to tell you, Dreams Really Do Come True, and I’m going to share one of my dreams with you.
Ever since I was old enough to read I have always loved reading romances. There’s just something about those Heart-Pounding, Pulse-Racing, Makes You Weak In The Knees, Happily-Ever-After, Once In A Lifetime, Love Stories. Those type of stories that makes your heart swoon. All of you know what I’m talking about :)
Going back many, many years ago, at the ripe old age of thirteen, I remember watching a sappy romance movie on TV with my sister. It was such a great movie, the kind where you’re laughing one minute and crying the next. It was wonderful all the way up until the end. Then to my horror, it had a terrible ending, the hero died.
I was heartbroken.
I was so upset about the ending that I decided to take matters into my own hands. I locked myself in my bedroom, and re-wrote the entire movie.
www.inspyromance.com
Yes, I said re-wrote. Same characters. Same plot. Same everything. With one exception, the ending…that was all mine!
That is where my love of writing began. I couldn’t get enough. I started out re-writing movies I’d watched, until one day I wrote an entire story that was all my own. From that day on, when other children were outside playing and having a good time, I was locked away in my room filling pages and pages of stories.
Then somewhere around the age of 20, I began dreaming of one day becoming a published author. Mind you, it was only a dream. I never thought that somewhere way into the future at the age of 50+, that dream would become a reality. But, in August 2014, it did.
And now, I am living my dream and loving every single minute of it!
If I can leave you with just one though, it would be… You are never to old to CHASE YOUR DREAMS!
I want to share with you a little bit about my newest release, Camellia’s Smile. It’s part of the American State Flower series. My state is Alabama.
When Camellia Stewart’s grandfather has a heart attack, she returns to Midvale, Alabama to help her grandparents on their farm until her grandfather is back on his feet. The morning after her return, she confronts Brody Tarvin, her grandparents’ new neighbor, with a shotgun.
Even though the neighbor’s granddaughter threatened to shoot him, Brody can’t stop thinking about her. After hearing about her grandfather’s heart attack, he decides to lend Camellia a hand on her grandparents’ farm. He finds himself falling for the woman with the beautiful smile until he discovers she has a boyfriend back home in Birmingham. Can Brody win her heart and convince her to stay in Midvale, or will she go back to the big city and leave him behind?
I opened my post with one question: Is there something you’ve always dreamed of doing?
Are you living your dream? Or are you still only dreaming?
Comment before Saturday April 9 for a chance to win an e-book copy of Camellia’s Smile.
Debra Lynn Collins is an Amazon No# 1 bestselling author. She was born and raised in Georgia, but moved to Gaylesville, Alabama after her 1981 marriage. She considers herself a Georgiabamian. God has blessed Debra with four children and seven grandchildren. Through the years, she has tried her hand at many, many crafts. Everything from quilting, candle making, woodworking, cake decorating, scrapbooking, and the list goes on and on. She is now living her own happily-ever-after ending with her biggest fan and husband, Steve, while writing contemporary Christian romances. Debra is a graduate from The Long Ridge Writers Group and an active member of ACFW (American Christina Fiction Writers)
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Debra! Congratulations on living your dream! Last year, shortly after I turned 50, I captured my dream when I got my first publishing contract. I love your cover!
Hi Debra! Welcome! I love that you rewrote the end to a movie. :) But I totally get it–my tag line is “happy endings are just the beginning.” So yeah, we’re in the same camp. Congrats on the book. My friend, Angela Breidenbach wrote one of the state flowers book. What a fun collection. My dreams were always to be a writer, and at 49 I got my first contract. I still remember everything about that day down to what I was wearing. :) Thanks for bringing back great memories.
Welcome and congrats. I am working towards my dream of becoming an Audit Director. I have a few challenging things to do in order to get there. I guess it doesn’t matter what age you are, just as long as your dreams come true. Thanks for writing your post.
Thank you, Jill, and congratulations to you, too, on your first publishing contract. It looks like we shared the same dream. :) I published my first book, A Marriage of Convenience three months before my 53rd birthday. We are never too old to dream!!! (of course 50 is NOT old :) )
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Debra! I would have been crushed by that movie, too. To this day, I never watch a Nicholas Sparks movie unless I’m assured the hero (or heroine) doesn’t die! Jim was watching one of those movies on a flight last year and I was actually irritated because I love the actor but knew he died in that movie. Arrgghh… Anyway, I completely understand why you wanted to rewrite that movie. “Real life” happens, I know, but bring on the HEA! :) And I always say that older writers have a wealth of life experience. Speaking for myself, when I was younger, I wouldn’t have been able to write the same books that I do now. I’m living the dream, too, and absolutely loving it! The only thing I haven’t done (but would love) is to pilot a small jet. That’s not happening, so I write about heroes who can sometimes. Blessings, and happy writing! Congrats on the new book. :)
I’ve always wanted to write too, but instead of fiction, I ended up going into the scientific writing world and I got a few articles and book chapters published. I’m pretty happy with the way things are going, though I often wonder if I’d ever be any good in writing fiction too. They tell me I’m too wordy.
Welcome – what a great story! I think I have a few movies I need to go rewrite now. :)
Hi, Linda! I absolutely love your tagline!! Camellia’s Smile is my first contracted book. I love this series, I also have another State Flower one that should be releasing somewhere around the end of the year. Yes, I remember the day my first book was published,too. I can honestly say, I know that I had checked Amazon every two or three minutes for hours waiting to see my book go live! Congratulations to you, too, for capturing your dream!
Congratulations! The state flower series sounds interesting. Thanks for your encouragement. We will be at a crossroads in the next year, but am not completely sure where the Lord is leading. My dream for a long time has been to be a lactation consultant. Another dream has been to visit Hawaii! Time will tell if either one comes to fruition!
Good morning, Colleen! I completely agree with you, age doesn’t matter. The way I look at it is, Age is just a number, but our dreams are who we are!! I want to know when you become an Audit Director! I’ll celebrate with you!! :)
Hello, JoAnn! I have to share this with you…I feel the same way about Nicholas Sparks movies!! I have a daughter who is a huge Nicholas Sparks fan, and she will let me know if I would want to watch one of his movies or not. I Love my HEA, and I don’t see that EVER changing :) I agree with you about older writers, because I find a little piece of what I’ve experienced throughout my life in each one of my books. We just get better and better with age. Who knows, we may even see you piloting a small jet one day, dream on, JoAnn, dream on! :)
Hello, Priscila! First I’d like to say, congratulations to you on your articles and book chapters that has been published. And second, if writing fiction is something that you’re interested in doing, then I say, go for it! You’ll never know until you try. I’m often too wordy too, but I have to edit and edit until I get it right :)
Thank you, Elizabeth! Go make those movies your own. We have to keep those heroes alive! :) :)
It’s great to have you on the blog with us! I enjoyed the post :)
Debra,
Congrats on being part of this team of sweet writers. As a reader I truly enjoy hearing all about the process of how God directs each of you in your writing. (Oh…and of course reading your books!)
God gives us dreams and then He blesses us. Isn’t He great?
As for my dream….it was too work with deaf people. Well, God broadened that dream and now I work with Special needs children. I love what I do (most days)!
Keep following your dreams!
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Debra! Lovely to have you here :)
I LOLed and nodded at you rewriting the film ending. Yes, it’s got to be an HEA!
So glad that you’re fulfilling such a long held dream, it’s a wonderful feeling.
Thank you, DLW! Never give up on your dreams. Like I said in my post, our dreams are a part of who we are. I truly believe that God is the one who instills those dreams in us. I pray that when you reach those crossroads, the path that God leads you down will bring to you joy overflowing and full of glory!!! You have to share with us when you become a Lactation Consultant and pictures from your Hawaii trip, too! Hey, if we’re going to dream, let’s dream big!
Congrats! My main dream has always been to be a wife and stay-at-home mom. At this point I have half my dream and it’s wonderful. =)
Thank you so much, Kimberly! And, I’m excited to be here with all of you!!
Good morning, Marylin! Oh yes, God is great!! He has blessed my dreams more than I could have ever imagined. Thank you so very much for sharing your dream with us, I had one of those, “awwww” moments when I read it :) What a wonderful fulfilling dream to have!
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Debra! Ah, dreams. I’m living mine as well. Except that the cold I thought I’d shaken off a couple of weeks ago seems to be back with a vengeance. That was SO not my dream.
Thank you, Autumn! I am so excited to be here with all of you!! It really is a wonderful feeling to see my lifelong dream turn into a reality, and I’m enjoying the journey every step of the way :)
Hello, Katy C.! Congratulations on seeing your dreams coming true. I’m sure the other half of your dream will be coming along soon :) Congratulations again!
Hey, Valerie! I feel your pain. I’m dealing with a major case of sinus issues today. I love Springtime, and right now, everything is blooming and bursting with color. However, my head, nose, eyes, and throat are not loving it so much. Maybe if I closed my eyes, I could dream this pollen away!! :)
I’m a retired missionary, and I ended up doing a lot of things I *NEVER* dreamed I’d do – like visit India twice, ride an elephant, eat strange dishes, etc. etc. :-) Our last 3 years overseas, we lived in Cambodia, which again, I *NEVER* dreamed of doing, and fought God a bit on :-) But, those 3 years brought some great blessings!
Welcome! Yes, I have always wanted to publish the children’s stories that I have written. I just haven’t found the courage yet to pursue my dream. :-)
Hello, Margaret! Wow! You have had some amazing dreams and blessings to come true in your life. Thank you for sharing them with us today. I can’t wait to hear what’s next on your list :) Keep on dreaming!!!
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Debra. I’m totally with you on the HEA (and Nicholas Sparks movies.) I get enough reality in real life. Give me a happily ever after in my books and movies, thank you very much. My dream was always to write romance but as a teenager, I was discouraged from doing that because I “couldn’t make a living at it.” I won’t say it’s been easy, and “making a living” is a qualitative term, but once I started making more writing than I did as a retail manager, I quit my day job and have never looked back. I only wish I hadn’t been discouraged way back in the day, because at that point romances were surging. Still, all God’s timing, for which I am grateful.
Hey, MimionlifeM! It took me many years to find that courage in myself too, but once I did, there wasn’t any stopping me. :) There are so many wonderful resources, blogs, Facebook groups, etc., that’s out there today where others are happy to help you and give you the advice you need to follow your writing dreams. Now is the best time to step out of the fear and chase after your dream!!!
Hey, MimionlifeM! It took me many years to find that courage in myself too, but once I did, there wasn’t any stopping me. :) There are so many wonderful resources, blogs, Facebook groups, etc., that’s out there today where others are happy to help you and give you the advice you need to follow your writing dreams. Now is the best time to step out of the fear and chase after your dream!!!
I need this book! I actually live in Alabama, Tuscaloosa to be exact. Do you? I’m almost 62, and my dream now is for my husband and I to travel in our RV before we get too old to do that. I’m collecting books on my Kindle for that very reason. We keep our three year old grandson and just as soon as he gets in school, we plan to hit the road. We are going to Key West this summer and are camping along the way. So excited!
Hello, Debkastner! Yes, give me that movie or book where I have that ‘awww’ moment at the end and I’m happy! I’m also right there with you on being discouraged by others. I grew up hearing the same thing, too. I used to wish that I had pursued this years ago, but like you said, God’s timing is perfect! Right now, I’m right where I should be and enjoying every minute of it. I’m so glad you didn’t give up on your dream. It’s a wonderful feeling to be able to make a living doing what you love to do :)
Hello, Gail! Yes, I am an Alabama girl, too. I live in Gaylesville which is just outside Gadsden. I’m very familiar with Tuscaloosa. I’ve attended the SCWC (Southern Christian Writer’s Conference) they hold there every year. Your dreams sound so exciting! If you want to load your Kindle up with some great reads, you can find plenty here on Inspy :) I hope you have a wonderful time traveling this summer!!
I LOVE to read, but every once in a while, I will read a book that does NOT end the way I want it to or has a character act in a way that I don’t like and I will rewrite the endings or scenes I don’t like in my head. So I can relate to rewriting the movie ending. :) I have some dreams that I’m not living just yet, but I believe God’s preparing me to live them in the future and I’m excited to see what happens.
If you’ll forgive for interjecting here, but my Cassie in my Lewis Legacy Series is an Alabama girl from Tuscaloosa! Love my Alabama girl. Blessings to you, Gail, as you travel. And I thought I “heard” the southern “accent” in you, Debra. :)
Oh yeah, JoAnn, I have it bad :) :)
Hey, Juliejobe! Yes, when God does it, He does it right, and it will be RIGHT ON TIME! :) I love your attitude about it, it sounds like you’re sitting on ready! :)
I’m dreaming of moving West. Northern Idaho, Oklahoma, a tiny house in some other corner of the country. Or all over everywhere in a converted school bus!
Congratulations Debra! Always love hearing about new author’s! Definitely want to read this. My dream is to go RVing through the US. Want to see the beautiful places God has created! Best wishes, Robin Bline
One of my dreams was to marry my childhood sweetheart (who was also our paperboy). I did! We will be celebrating our 30th anniversary this coming December. I hope I never stop dreaming. And I look forward to reading your books. I enjoy Contemporary Christian Romances.
While my kids were growing up, I always wanted to own our own family farm and to raise livestock, chickens and to grow healthy fruits and vegetables.! Although it hasn’t happened yet, I still hope to make it happen!!!
Hello, Beth! Sounds like a great dream! I think I hear travel plans going on :)
Hello, Robin! I’ve read a few comments today about traveling. I think that’s a wonderful dream. Gas that RV up and hit the road! :)
Hey, LeAnn! Your dream would make a great romance novel! My husband and I have been married 35 years, he wasn’t my childhood sweetheart, but he is my forever sweetheart. :) Keep dreaming and keep dreaming big!
Hey, Lori! Camellia’s Smile is about a farm with horses, goats, pigs, and chickens :) We don’t live on a farm, but we do live in the country, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. Praying for you that you will get your farm life soon. Keep chasing that dream!
This has been an amazing day! I want to thank each and every one of you for making my very first time on Inspy a wonderful experience. I’m already looking forward to next time! Remember to always chase after your dreams, because one day you may just catch them. God bless you ALL!
Hi Debra, Welcome to inspy Romance :) How could they kill off the hero? Shame on them for ruining the romance, and good on you for rewriting a happy ending!
Welcome to Inspy Romance, Debra. Your book sounds really interesting, can’t wait to read it. I’ll wait, however, to see if I win a copy :-} Love happy endings!!
Hey, Narelle! I know. They tried to ruin a good movie, but I saved his life. :) :)
Thanks, Helloworld373! One thing I can guarantee you, every single book I write will definitely have a happy ending :)
Welcome to Inspy Romance Debra!! So happy to see you here :-) I had won a copy of “Camella’s smile and enjoyed it so much, I left a review :-) I’ve read several of the State flower novellas and equally enjoyed each one. Short stories but with so much packed into them and always, always, a message of hope, faith, and love intertwined!
Hope to see more of you around!
(Obviously don’t enter me) :-)
Hey, Trixi! It’s wonderful to see you here. I’m so glad you enjoyed, Camellia’s Smile. Thank you so much for such a sweet review :)
Dreams? retirement helps me have a few more :)