Today we’d like to introduce you to Ashlie Hand.
Hi Ashlie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
Writing is, and always has been for me, like scratching an itch – it’s almost impossible to resist.
I learned to read pretty early – I think around age 4 – so I’ve always loved books, which also fed my very active imagination. I have been a storyteller and writer for nearly all my life – whether that was constructing elaborate make believe scenarios as a child, or penning my first novel at age 10, journaling all through grade school and high school, to my now 25-year career in communications and public relations. But I really didn’t think I would ever publish a novel.
When it was time to start thinking about college and a career, I just wanted to find something that would allow me to write creatively.
At that time – in the early 90s – becoming a novelist felt about as realistic as saying I wanted to be a movie star. So, I went to something I knew as the daughter and granddaughter of advertising professionals – a copywriter in an ad agency. When I presented that idea to my college advisor – she gently let me know that copywriting wasn’t an academic major. Instead, she suggested I pursue public relations because “that is something everyone needs,” (translation – job security). She also promised it would allow me to do plenty of writing. I was sold.
By the time I graduated from college, my novel and fiction writing days had all but evaporated, and I wasn’t really even journaling regularly any more. The desire to write creatively never went away, I just began channeling it into what I needed to for my career: press releases, scripts, newsletter and magazine articles, website content, story pitches for journalists. It was satisfying enough, and as they say, it paid the bills. I got married, had three children and a job that I loved in Kansas City. I volunteered with my kids’ school, my professional development organization and my church. Life was pretty fulfilling and didn’t leave a lot of extra room for considering my first love of becoming a novelist.
I have returned to journaling sporadically, usually during significant seasons of life – like pregnancies with all three of my children, and later as I was experiencing a return to prayer and maturing in my faith. It was this season of life – a return to a strong devotion to my faith and my children starting to leave the nest, that seems to also be the turning point for me in finally receiving the inspiration to not only write a novel, but actually publish it.
I can say with 100% honesty, I knew very little about what was marketable in fiction when I came up with the idea for the Blessed series. It was just an inspired idea that I felt strongly compelled to develop. As I got further along, and was sharing the idea with a few friends, I started to get the feeling that I might actually be able to publish it. I knew enough about the publishing world to understand that I would never get an 8-book series picked up by a traditional publisher when I was completely unknown. So, I committed to self-publishing.
I started researching resources for authors, and found a website called Reedsy, then found The Story Center at the Midcontinent Public Library. Each step along the way was taking me deeper and deeper into this whole new world of self-publishing which was exciting and encouraging … and a little scary. Every time I realized that I wasn’t doing this alone, it gave me that little boost of confidence I needed to just take the next step.
The idea for the series came to me in May 2019, but I took a lot of breaks between then and March 2022. I went through a major job pivot in 2020 from a secular career to working for the local Catholic diocese. It was one more step toward embedding my faith into all aspects of my life. Even though I am a cradle Catholic, this new role made it very clear there was so much I didn’t know. So, I immersed myself in a process of discovery about my faith. I dove into the Bible in Year podcast in 2022, then immediately jumped into the Catechism in Year podcast in 2023. I think all of that was a necessary part of the plan and is reflected in the way that the Blessed series continued to evolve during this time, too.
Finally, in June 2024 I decided I was going to give myself a deadline of one year to publish and launch the first book in the Blessed series. My birthday falls in late June so that was an obvious goal – and I loved the idea of giving myself the gift of finally realizing this life-long dream.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Once I finally decided to go through with self-publishing, I was amazed at the doors that seemed to naturally open for me. Whether that was finding the perfect editor, to stumbling on the free resources at The Story Center, to connecting with other local authors and book stores, every thing seemed to fall into place.
The biggest obstacle for me was learning so many new skills plus establishing a business on top of launching my first novel. It was a lot to tackle at once and led to some frustrating and challenging moments.
Thanks – so what else should our readers know about your work and what you’re currently focused on?
While I’m new to the world of self-publishing, I’ve been a writer for most of my life. I’ve always been drawn to storytelling that puts me, or someone like me, into a familiar story where I can experience what my favorite characters experience, or layering aspects of my own life against scenarios or settings that have inspired me.
My first novel is a spiritual mystery that I’ve described as what you might get if James Patterson and Anne Patchett collaborated on a story. It’s realistic fiction that throws in some surprising twists, with the underlying foundation of discovering how faith helps us to surrender to the parts of our lives that we can’t control.
I’m most grateful for my total surrender to the creative process – trying something I’ve never tried before and trusting that I’m doing what I meant to be doing. There’s a reason that we hold on to childhood dreams – they come from the most innocent and trusting part of ourselves. It takes courage to lean into that part of yourself once you’re older and wiser about the world and how cruel it can be. I’m grateful that I’ve had the opportunity to strengthen my faith so that I could find the courage to finally realize that childhood dream of becoming an author.
Before we let you go, we’ve got to ask if you have any advice for those who are just starting out?
I feel like I’m the one just starting out! If there’s any advice I could pass along at this early stage of my self-publishing career, it would be to seek out every resource available to you and don’t be afraid to use them. Invest in yourself – take a class, attend a workshop, be willing to pay for some services, and seek out the ones that are free. Find someone who has already done what you want to do and become a sponge. Take them out for coffee or a glass of wine – find something you have in common and just reach out. People want to help, and there are so many more resources available to you than you likely even realize.
Contact Info:
- Website: ashliehand.my.canva.site
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ashlie_hand_author/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ashliehand.author
