When Dreams Come True
and Why That Matters
by Martha Carr
I
used to envy friends of mine who had no burning
desire to be something in particular. They
were practical, fun people who were
happy choosing a profession that had a clear
path. If the path changed, they went with it.
That was not me.
From the moment I walked into the
library at five years old and started reading
books by the armload—and discovered I
wasn’t alone and there was a magical world
out there —I wanted to be a writer.
That dream came true. But there were
some aspects of it that didn’t… like the
money… till now.
I’ve been a writer for just about thirty
years, not too long after my son, Louie, was
born and I was going through a divorce.
Everybody else’s ideas about what I should
be failed. Time to take a chance and chase
that dream.
Over the years, I have had great adven-
tures as a writer—living on U.S. orphanages,
talking to U.S. Catholic exorcists before
stepping into the most haunted house in
America (it’s in Pittsburgh), writing a na-
tional political column and jumping out of a
plane. That’s just some of it.
But there was one thing that eluded me.
I was never financially successful. Critical
praise, sure. Great fan mail that moved me to
tears or laughter with someone, yeah. But I
spent a couple of decades as a single parent
worried about bigger things like a car repair,
braces or new clothes for my son. Or even
putting food on the table all the time.
After the Great Recession, I decided
to come in from the cold and I went legit,
taking a job as a corporate editor. I have
loved everything about it. Two Starbucks in
the building, a fancy cafeteria with a chef,
an insurance card and matching 401k and
a paycheck that shows up every two weeks
with more than enough to cover the bills. It
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Southern Writers
was like I could take a deep breath at last.
Of course, that didn’t mean I stopped
writing on the side. It’s like it’s a part of me
and I just have to tell a story. But, until now,
every story I told found a tiny following and
then petered out.
Like any good story, this one has a
dramatic twist where everything changes.
Even better, it involves magic.
I went to hear someone speak who
claimed they were making five figures after
six months writing fiction. Turns out it was
true. Michael Anderle was legit. Fast forward
one year to the day I met him and when
he asked me out of the blue if I wanted to
collaborate on a project creating an urban
fantasy universe called Oriceran. That’s the
day our first book in The Leira Chronicles
was released and the series took off like a
rocket. I took in every idea he had about
characterization and humor and it turned into
a fan base that reads the books in a day or
two and asks, “Where’s the next one?”
I’m exhausted and thrilled and making up
magic thrillers set in Austin, Texas as fast as
I can and asking myself – if this improbable
dream came true, what else can?
Dreams are important to have because
mine gave me a roadmap of sorts where only
the next steps were ever visible and along
the way I learned more about myself and
the world around me than I ever expected. I
defied the odds and ended up exactly where I
want to be but never knew until I got here. If
you have a dream, whatever it is – just keep
going. That’s been my motto for a while now
and somehow got me here. More adventures
to follow… www.Oriceran.com. n
Martha Carr is the author of the Wallis Jones series
and co-author in multiple Oriceran series. She is
also a melanoma survivor, Chi runner, occasional
rower, and skydiver. She resides near her son in
Georgetown, TX, where everyone is always welcome
to stay for dinner. www.MarthaCarr.com