Life, the Universe, and Everything

It’s my birthday! I’m closing out my 42nd year; the year that’s the answer to the ultimate question of life, the universe, and everything (according to Douglas Adams, at least).

So here’s what I’ve taken away from my 42 years on this earth.

Disclaimer: This is where I’m going to take a moment to acknowledge the immense privilege I currently hold. I’m a well paid cisgender white woman in a hetero-passing marriage in a country that, while it has significant issues, still provides me a high level of comfort and low level of insecurity in my day to day life. I didn’t always have some of that privilege (how I grew up on Medicaid and was very close to being homeless if not for the people who are now my family is a story for another day), but even in my hardest times, I’ve benefitted from systems that hold others down. Not everyone will have the luxury to do all the things I talk about in this post.

Pursue dreams down rabbit holes

This time last year, I had completed one novel and started one other (with some baby ideas coming together for a couple more). At some point, the idea of “What if F1 Romance and female driver?” entered my mind but that’s all it was. Then, in September, while watching the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, the story came to me almost fully formed. While watching the race coverage, I talked out ideas with my husband and he helped me build and adjust the story. I started getting the ideas down on paper that weekend.

A month later, while at a writing retreat in Alexandria VA, I picked up my first research book: How to Win a Grand Prix by Bernie Collins. I started learning everything I could about how F1 actually runs, about what life is like for tv presenters, for drivers, the history of women in F1.

My husband jokes that now I know more about the sport that he’s been following all his life and got me into than he does.

Nine months after putting words on pages, I’m deep in querying the novel, with some very positive responses so far. All because I let myself follow the plot bunny down the rabbit hole she led me through.