I am an emerging author. Sort of. While I have been writing since I could hold a pencil and weaving stories since elementary school to entertain my sister and my friends, I haven’t published anything of substance in a while. I have a non-fiction series under my belt, but I haven’t published anything fictional since college and early adulthood. Back then, my poetry was published in collegiate anthologies and local newspapers. I’ve written some articles for magazines and even had a piece printed in the prestigious Highlight’s Magazine for children. I’ve edited and copywritten for the Craig Hospital newsletter. I’ve assisted writing friends with their drafts, to polish their books to be all they can be. Publishing a fictional novel has always been a dream. I have more killed off characters and nixed plots and half-penned stories than I can count. If you write, I know you feel me. Plus, my life took a bit of a detour.
At twenty-nine, I died. Twice. Obviously, paramedics and the hospital brought me back. Twice. But I sustained a level T-4/5 spinal cord injury, and that took some time to recover from. I had to re-learn how to live my life anew, from the confines of my little, purple, wheelchair.
During my recovery stage, I stumbled upon fractal art and began playing with their creation. I was instantly hooked. I spent copious hours glued to the computer, falling down the fractal rabbit hole, then took classes to perfect my craft. It healed my broken heart over losing my legs. It was the best downtime, relaxing fun, for my whirling mind, while my body mended.
Entering my art in a local, juried art show at the coaxing of my husband a year later, I won not only a slot in their coveted big tent, right at the entrance, but also placed honorable mention for best booth, scored an interview and feature in the newspaper and the news, and launched my artist career. Something I would have laughed manically over had you ever told me I would one day be an artist. See, I make a mean stick figure. I can even scribble rectangular-shaped clothing on their scrawny bodies. Maybe color it in. By creating fractals with the computer, I discovered my medium. It changed my world. I now own the licensing trademark brand, Fractalicious®, and have agent representation who license my artwork to dozens of manufacturers for use on all kinds of cool and unique products. I run my own line of fractal swag to fill in the gaps and published three card decks, a book and a booklet teaching users to access their intuition. But that’s a whole different beast.
I am pivoting yet again. Aging with SCI is challenging. I find fractal-ing difficult with growing arthritis. I can still type easily, however, so I am flipping the script. My library with my agent is extensive. My intuition book/decks are doing well. I can create art slowly, submitting one to three high-quality pieces a year, and be fine. I have built my sturdy art foundation, and can now, return to words at the forefront while I re-learn life with limited hand abilities. There are blessings, everywhere. (You can see my mini-fractal empire at www.KimberlyRaeHansen.com)
As an avid reader across multiple genres, I enjoy writing what I read. I have a soft spot for YA, and a soft spot for magical realism. This is where my journey begins, deep in the trenches of final edits for my YA fiction novel, Everything That Was, set to launch at the end of 2023. I will be self-publishing again, the same as I did for my Non-Fiction series. This is likely the most challenging creative undertaking I’ve ever faced! I feel a hair rusty, as I re-discover my footing. I enjoy that though, learning something new, polishing my skills, enjoying the ride…creating is breathing…
Meanwhile, I have a collection of horror short stories to complete and polish, a New Adult novel half plotted, and have been approached to write a piece for a spicy romance anthology. In other words, there’s more to come, in many different forms. I can’t wait to share this journey with you.
Here, you will find:
*Posts about my writing process and novel updates, as well as behind-the-scenes glimpses of the self-publishing experience.
*Book reviews from a writer’s perspective – AKA tearing a story apart to see what works and what doesn’t to incorporate the wins into our works in progress. Reading successful books is a tool for improving our works. Plus, it’s one of my most favorite pastimes ever. I like geeking out over books. ;)
*Writing tips, tricks, and woes.
*Topics centering on themes or subjects of my books or current Works In Progress.
*Random musings and peeks into the life of a spinal cord injury survivor, additional hobbies, family, pets—all things beyond the creative life.
*Indie-author interviews, post shares and book-reviews. Writing a novel is hard. Doing the work to publish yourself is even harder. Authors supporting authors makes my heart sing.
I love engaging with the community, and welcome comments and emails. You can also follow me on social media, just follow the links. I look forward to our juicy conversations.
