When I first realized I wanted to be a writer
Love Letter June
Hi, lovely!
I have always loved writing, but it wasn’t until I met Ryan that I realized I wanted to be an author. Growing up, my favorite subjects in school were English and Swedish, and right up until the day I had to apply for university, I was torn between becoming a teacher or an engineer.
Being my father’s daughter, always trying to think a few steps ahead, I decided to get my Bachelor's in engineering—simply because I thought it would be easier to switch to teaching later if I changed my mind.
Funnily enough, I haven’t worked a single day as an engineer, and I never did take the extra courses I needed to teach. But without my degree, I would never have come to Sydney, never met Ryan, and never started writing my first book.
Ryan and I met back in 2019, just before COVID hit Australia. It was meant to be nothing more than a summer thing between us, but by the end of it, we simply couldn’t say goodbye. I ended up living three months in his family home, quickly realizing that Ryan wasn’t just a fling—he was the love of my life.
When I returned to Sweden in June, the plan was for Ryan to follow shortly after, but the lockdown laws kept changing. Weeks turned into months, and by Christmas, I didn’t know what to do with myself anymore. I missed him so much, and all I had were the memories of our time together in Sydney.
So one day, I downloaded Scrivener to my computer and started writing a fictional love story inspired by our time together. I remember sitting from early morning to late at night, pretty much typing from the moment I hung up after my wake-up call with Ryan until he called me again later in the afternoon.
At the time, I wrote for no one but myself. But once I finished my first script, I couldn’t seem to stop. I kept writing and writing until I had four or five drafted romance novels on my computer. None of them will likely ever see the light of day (except the first one), but that’s how I started dreaming about becoming a romance writer
This week’s high:
Dancing the night away with my partner in crime and future sister-in-law, Cydney Wilmot, at our favorite pub. They say that an apple a day keeps the doctor away—well, for me, all I need is a few shots of tequila, a kick-ass live band and Cyd by my side, dancing like we’re the only two people in the world, and I’m as good as new.
This week’s challenge:
Honestly, this week has been pretty challenge-free—mostly because I’ve let myself slow down enough to FINALLY start writing again. Maybe that should have gone under “This week’s high,” but my chest tingled like it was Christmas morning after I finished writing the prologue to my next book. So yeah, maybe I’ve been living on that high this week, and I’m sure more challenges will hunt me down next week—but for now, I’m happy to float around on my flying carpet of joy a little longer.
Currently reading: Promise Me Sunshine by Cara Bastone
Currently reading: Control my night by Sarah L Richhelm.
Next read: The 4-Hour Workweek by Tim Ferriss. (Seems like I keep putting this one off…)
Talk soon!
Lots of love,
Johanna