Unknown authors have to perfect their craft before getting that first novel released out into the public. It is not always easy and they often have to overcome many obstacles such as editing issues and how to properly get the book out. For some like Chelsii Klein, it comes with the territory and her recent book, The Beloved Fire, came out on Amazon, after many months of preparation.
“I have always had a dream of becoming a published author, starting from a young age,” she said. “Throughout the years growing up I always thought back to that dream but never
acting on it because I thought I wasn’t smart enough.”
She explained that a hard time in her life pushed her to finally overcome her fears and write. It enabled her to forget the awful times occurring around her.
“Eventually I picked up A.M. Hudson’s Dark Secrets series, and was inspired to push my self-doubt aside, and start writing my own stories.”
Her ideas flow to her throughout the day and she jots them down to save for later. It allowed her to make The Beloved Fire into a full-length novel.
“The idea of The Beloved Fire first came with Blake,” she emphasized. “I wanted to come up with a character that was a demon but somehow blessed from heaven. Or a demon that could become good. That is also where the idea from the title came. I was actually doing laundry, of all things, and the thought of this character came to me. The more I thought of the possibilities for this character, I was able to think about where he could come from and his story. I ended up grabbing a notebook and writing down all my crazy thoughts and before long, I had come up with a whole world and a plot.”
With The Beloved Fire, Klein outlines a story of a character being torn between being good and evil. Here, it is literally as her main character ends up in a mansion called Purgatory that serves as a passageway that could lead anywhere. Anock, the Prince of Hell, runs the hotel.
“The idea of a character that could define the odds of being evil and becoming good drew me into the Heaven/Hell story line,” Klein explained. “Before long I came up with the idea of turning it into a betting game.”
Her principal character Mikayla, like many 21-year-old women, is just trying to find her way through life when she ends up in this mystical place.
“When creating her character and backstory, I knew I wanted a character that readers could relate to,” she added. “She isn’t perfect and has lots of growing to do. I wanted her to have human issues, loss of a job, family member with cancer, a concern with where she would fit in in the world... so that way, when she is thrown into a whole other world the reader can watch her grow and become her true self. Mikayla will face challenges that will define her throughout the series, so that when we do get to her final chapter, her growth will be believable and impressive from where she started.”
While many authors pitch their stories to agents hoping to get nationally published, Klein took the independent route, opting to self publish. She endured some hardships along the way as she tried to get the book ready.
“I learned the hard way about trusting companies too good to be true when I got scammed out of a lot of money,” she said. “As a new, vulnerable author I was taken advantage of. So this process was a long one, with a lot of hard lessons. I’m glad I made it out the other end and didn’t give up though. I learned you can self-publish for free, and to never hand over a lot of money to get your book published.”
Klein's website showcases all of her work, including future releases that are on the table. As she celebrates her first published book, she looks back on her process and hopes her story will inspire others.
“Don’t give up and keep writing,” Klein advised future writers. “Everyone has a story to tell and don’t ever let your self-doubts hold you back. Whether you sell 1 copy of your book, or 1 million... set out to start and finish your goal. Just putting your story out into the world is the biggest accomplishment you can achieve as a writer.
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