The Book That Changed My Life

 I was in the middle of writing my very first fan fiction based on the television show Prison Break when an online friend suggested I check out this vampire romance series called Twilight. I was hesitant because I'm a steamy romance reader and Twilight is a YA romance. Would I really like a book series that had zero spice?

As it turned out, I did. I fell in love with Bella and Edward. So much so, that when I finished writing my Prison Break fan fiction, I decided to dive into Twilight fan fiction.

My first foray into writing Bella and Edward was to give them a proper wedding night. I was perfectly fine with the slow burn, but I needed more from the wedding night than what the author gave us. I mean, she made us wait for 3+ books and THAT was all we got?

I needed more, so I decided to write it.

My first Twilight fan fiction was titled Perspective. It was written in Edward's point of view starting three weeks before the wedding night. Stephanie Meyer mentioned how Bella and Edward had been practicing for their wedding night. She didn't give us details, but I decided to fill in the gaps.

With each chapter, we get to watch Bella and Edward test the waters and prepare for their wedding night. And then, of course, the story wraps up with the big finale...the wedding night. And unlike what we got (or didn't get) in Breaking Dawn, I didn't leave it at a fade to black. I gave Bella and Edward a proper wedding night.

That fan fiction led me to writing more in the Twilight universe and it was that second story that caught the attention of some ladies who were starting their own publishing house. The owner of the publishing house reached out to me, explaining how she'd read and loved my story. She wanted to know if I had anything I was interested in publishing.

As it turned out, I had a story I'd written and was in the process of editing with the intention of trying to get it published. I emailed her the story and within two weeks she contacted me again. This time, it was to offer me a publishing contract.

 Fourteen years later, I am not 100% self published and have 16 novels, 1 novella, and 3 short stories. Writing that first fan fiction changed the course of my life, but I may never have published my first book without having read Twilight and diving into the world of Twilight fan fiction. It truly changed the course of my life and gave me an outlet to tell all the stories floating around in my head.

To find out more about my books, check out my website at www.sherrihayesauthor.com.