Asrai is the author of “Second Chance Romance” and opens her soul in blogging at Coming Alive.  Besides having the best name ever (I love love love her name) she is on a mission to finish her second book by the end of May!

I have always been a romance writer. My first romances were in my head. I was mainly a Cinderella, damsel-in-distress who was rescued by whomever I had a crush on and then my life was perfect.

Round about 2001, I heard about National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo).  I embarked on the great journey to write 50,000 words in a month.

And failed that year.

Shortly after that failed attempt, I got pregnant and had my daughter(now 7) in 2002 and I didn’t try NaNoWriMo again until 2005.  I won that year, but still found the story unsalvageable.  In 2008, I finally had a story I didn’t hate, for the first time ever.

My writing became multi-dimensional when I started to understand that love is not all about the exciting, roller coaster ride of falling in love.  As well, I had to learn that neither partner in a relationship is perfect.

If a woman is waiting for her prince to come in and complete her she is going to be disappointed.  By completing herself and choosing a somewhat scary and unknown path, she can find love.

My purpose is just to write.  It is when I feel most alive and when my heart is most open.  I love putting words together to tell a story- it can be my story or something I’m making up.

I don’t limit myself to one genre. I write rants and opinions on various topics. I write erotic short stories, because I have a lifelong struggle with accepting my sexuality and writing various scenes and emotions allow me to explore sex in a way that I can control.

And I write romance. I have a passion for passion and I am in love with love. Romance, for whatever reason, has a reputation for being a sub-par genre. I have noticed that most stories have a romantic component. The mystery where the detective falls in love with the victim. Relationships, especially romantic ones, are at the heart of people.

My call to action is for people to find what it is that makes them feel alive and to give it sometime each week, at least. I don’t write everyday. I am not making money from my passion. I have a job, family, friends, a house and several other hobbies. I know “too busy”, but I don’t really live unless I find time to write.

Photo by Lady Ayumi

Photo by Lady Ayumi

When you start pursuing what you makes you feel alive, don’t expect it to work miracles. It won’t make you whole or happy all the time. On the whole you will be happier however. It will not give you a six-figure income over night. It could make you rich, but it may just remain a hobby. It’s better than only existing.

I’d much rather have my soul sing. That’s what Coming Alive is about.

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In addition to reading her blog, you can catch up with Asrai on Twitter!