Hey there bookworms (and fellow writers/aspiring writers)!

I just wanted to stop in quickly for a few reasons. Here in the states, tonight is an energetic night due to the midterm elections. In the spirit of the occasion, and the fact I’m participating in NaNoWriMo again this year, I wanted to stop in to do a quick plug for the story I’m writing and see if any of you who ever thought about writing a book or telling a story would want to participate in this challenge!

So over a year ago, I went with a friend of mine to a town hall for the governor’s race of New Jersey and got hit with a story idea so strong that I just had to start jotting it down. Fast forward to a year and change later, and I have about 42,000 words and counting towards a novel about the first female president of the United States. Of course, I’m drawing from real life and current issues, but I am trying to make this story my own, and it is a romance as well, so it’s obviously highly fictional and has all the goodness that comes with a sexy book boyfriend.

I’ve been into politics since before I was old enough to vote, so this project has been such a fun way to get creative with the whole thing and express my joys and frustrations about my country through my characters and the complexity of a fictional adventure. I want to incorporate all the feel-good moments of a romance novel, the importance of current events and being an active voice in society, and give my characters some powerful traits to help them endure critical times like America has seen lately. I guess doing my ancestry research and finding myself linked to a few founding fathers and presidents past is where my passion for it all comes from, so I had to do my part!

This story is still very much a work in progress, it has NOT been edited in any way, but it is out there for you to check out if you want something new to read. With the challenge of nanowrimo coming into play, I am making this book and the whole writing process my focus for the next thirty days, so I hope to continue to post updates over on wattpad fairly regularly and see this thing through until the end. I’m blown away this story has surpassed 4,000 reads, and it’s even been ranked in several literary genres and categories where I have it posted on Wattpad.

Excerpt:

The room is vibrating with an energy I can’t seem to assign a name. Friends, family, and colleagues flutter around me while massive televisions mounted to the walls bring us the latest news and updates. I watch from my own bubble. I feel as if time slows down as headlines scroll across the bottom of the screen, although, not much of it registers in my brain. Papers, files, and electronic devices are exchanged right under my nose, but I remain the silent observer. Instead, I focus on calm and steady breaths while I savor the the moment, committing what I can to memory. My life, all of my hard work, and the future of the world is resting on the outcome of this evening.

When I really take time to evaluate my life up until this point, I’m not entirely sure how I got this far. Of course, to an extent, I do. I’ve always kept my nose to the grindstone and dreamed of the seemingly unattainable; maintaining my focus was never an issue. I was never ruthless in my pursuits, just determined, and it all led to now. I kept my head in the game from the very start, and gave every task my full heart. Tonight is no different.

This particular venture in my life stands out due simply to the sheer magnitude of what I’ve chosen to tackle. Many, and I mean MANY along the way have said I was crazy, and scoffed about how I’d never make it, that this was a one in a million chance, but I fought with every breath I took to prove them wrong. I saw the way humanity was slowly falling into shambles around me and made up my mind to help in anyway I could. I refused to stand on the sidelines and see people across the country struggling to just exist in this world. That’s not who I am. I might not be the perfect picture of who you’d typically see on a historic night such as this, but we live in a vastly different universe these days.

For years, I witnessed people suffer. Whether is was financially, emotionally, mentally, or physically. Blind hatred was an almost regular occurrence and individuals or particular groups were persecuted on various scales. Everywhere you looked, and every headline you came across had to do with a level of destruction. From where I stood, we were on the verge of a dystopia, and even worse, a total collapse. I knew in my gut that it was time to push back, and I encouraged everyone around me to join the fight.

The sudden eruption of cheers ringing throughout the room snap me out of my mental rewind. I see my headshot flash prominently on the screen while the broadcast continues its current announcement. I see what’s happening, but my mind hasn’t quite processed what just occurred in a split-second. I’m swept off of the sofa where I’ve gotten comfortable only to be embraced by my parents, Violet and Henry, and my older brother, Jasper. Congratulations continue to ripple through the room as the champagne begins to flow. I did it, really and truly. Everything I’ve been killing myself for these past months has finally come to fruition. I’m astounded, but immensely proud of how hard every single person on my team has worked in order to make tonight a raging success.

“To Abby and the next four years!” Jasper, shouts, holding up his glass. The rest of the room joined the toast while my mother passed me my own champagne flute, tears of happiness and pride shining in her eyes. I thanked her as I took a sip of the bubbly and smile to myself in utter satisfaction, my heart nearly to the point of bursting with joy.

My name is Abigail James, and I am the first female President of the United States. 

To all those aspiring writers out there, I encourage you to join me on this journey that is National Novel Writing Month. If you have your stories posted anywhere, leave them in the comments below so we can all enjoy your hard work! If you haven’t shared your story or progress, consider it.. because people will look and respond and encourage you to keep going. That’s what this whole reading/writing community is about! Writers need readers and a support system, so be brave and share your story with the world! I’ll leave links below so you can follow my work as well. Feel free to add/follow me so we can push each other to keep going to cross that finish line!

Find my story on Wattpad: Madam President

NaNoWriMo: blabbybiblio