Thank you for helping me reach my dream

USA Today Bestselling Thriller Author Achieved

 When I'm teary at 5:50AM on a Thursday, it's usually because we're out of coffee or because I'm just too tired and can't imagine another day of work.

This morning, though, things were different....and I have all of you to thank.

This morning, when my alarm's infernal blaring startled me awake and reached for my phone, I was greeted with the best kind of surprise: one of my wildest dreams came true.

I hit the USA TODAY Bestsellers list with my debut thriller, The Widow Next Door.  

It's currently sitting at 101 on this week's list, and I am still in shock. Let me explain why.

About five years ago, I was driving around town in my husband's truck chatting about wild dreams and what ifs. My biggest what if at the time? What if my book I had just sent to publishers actually got published? What if I got to see my name on a book cover?

It felt ludicrous. I remember laughing and telling my husband it would never happen.

And then it did.

Over and over these past four years I've been in publishing, I've been shocked and surprises. I've cried several times...sometimes because the road has been bumpy and hard. Sometimes they were happy tears.

And sometimes they are just tears of unrelenting shock that dreams, in fact, do come true.

There were many times I thought about quitting, thought about giving up on this crazy dream. There were many times I thought my head needed to get out of the clouds or the stars or just back to earth where big dreams don't come true.

So, if you're still reading this, I say to you: Don't give up. Don't quit. Don't let the feelings of short-term failure cloud your ability to see what amazing surprises or triumphs could be waiting for you just up the road.

This journey has shown me that even those wild, crazy, ludicrous-feeling dreams can come true. I hope this gives you the courage and confidence to chase yours.

Thanks to everyone for your love and support. Thank you to Avon Books/HarperCollins for believing in the widow's story. A special thank-you to Katie Loughnane, my amazing editor who first believed in the story. Thank you to Jenny for always being my confidence boost from the beginning, to my husband who always cheers me on and was so instrumental in this process, and to my friends at the Author Transformation Alliance.

In short, I just want to say: Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Stay Safe and Be True,

L.A. Detwiler