What I Would Tell the Me Who Was Too Afraid to Publish

There was a time when I would write quietly, privately, with no expectation that anyone outside my family would ever read my stories. I told myself it was safer that way. That writing was for me, and that sharing it might steal the joy from it.

The truth? I was afraid.

Afraid I wasn't good enough. That no one would care. That people would read my heart on the page and not just dislike it, but dismiss it.

I look back at that version of myself, the woman scribbling late at night between parenting and life and everything in between, and I wish I could give her a hug. I wish I could tell her that some of the most beautiful things in life begin when you're scared but do it anyway.

Publishing that first book was a risk. I made that cover by myself and back before I had any idea how to. But I did it anyway. And that one leap changed everything.

I’ve learned that the magic of a story isn’t in how perfect it is, but in how honest it is. Readers don’t fall in love with flawless books. They fall in love with characters who feel like family. With stories that speak to their heart. With imperfect people who find a way to love each other through the mess.

If I could go back, I’d tell that scared version of me not to chase perfection but to chase the dream with heart. There’s a reader out there who needs exactly the story you’re afraid you can’t write well enough.

And maybe you’re not a writer, but you’re standing on the edge of something new. A career change, a relationship, a move, or even just speaking your mind. I hope you take the leap. Not because it’s easy but because sometimes the things that scare us the most are the very things that change our lives in the best possible way.

I never imagined I’d be writing billionaire romance success stories or that readers would search for lighthearted romances and find mine. But here we are. And I’m so, so grateful.

So if you’re standing where I once stood, wondering if you’re “good enough,” this is me telling you: You are. And I’m cheering you on.

Be brave.

Follow that dream with your whole heart. It’ll take you on a wild ride and one with many challenges, but you’ll never regret believing in yourself.

Love,
Ruthie