Welcome to Branchwork Studios!
Soil and Sky
My first poem was about a squirrel walking across an electrical wire. My first short story, about a turkey at Thanksgiving. My first fan-fiction, a revival of The Hobbit - to be upfront, I didn't get very far.
I wrote my first novel manuscript at 16. I submitted it, unsolicited, to a few different publishing houses. After waiting months and months at a time, checking the mail often for my own handwriting on the SASE I had provided, I found myself with my first rejections in-hand. It was a proud moment, in its own way, and yet deeply disappointing.
That novel is still sitting in my archives, as of yet unpublished.
At the time, self-publishing was in a different space than it is now, and beyond my knowledge or reach.
I decided to start this business to offer what I wish I had at the age of 16: the chance to publish something that I felt passionate about, that I had devoted innumerable hours towards, and that I had poured myself into, without the naysayers, the gatekeepers, or the "deciders" standing in the way.
I hope to offer anyone and everyone an avenue to self-publication, to sharing their passions, and to achieving their goals, dreams, and ambitions.
I hope to inspire writers to keep writing and to be a guide and offer support along the path we all share in common: the path of creation.
Background
I first became interested in reading when I started collecting battle monster cards in elementary school. Shortly after, I dove head-first into the wonderful world of books.
I began my studies in the craft of creative writing in high school when I attended Denver School of the Arts. After graduating with an Arts Endorsed Diploma, I attended the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, where I majored in Creative Writing. I transferred to Emerson College in Boston, MA, majored in Writing, Literature, and Publishing, and transferred again to the University of Colorado at Boulder where I majored in English - Creative Writing.
While my focus has been on fiction and poetry, I have studied a variety of writing forms, genres, and styles.
I graduated from the University of Colorado at Boulder with Distinction with a B.A. in English - Creative Writing.
I have self-published three books, with another soon to be released. I have two more books in production - free chapters are available on my blog Re-Ink - with more to come!
Inspiration
I have been inspired by many creative, wonderful, and moving writers throughout my life. These include, but are not limited to: Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tanya Huff, Brandon Sanderson, Mercedes Lackey, Agatha Christie, Michael Thomas Ford, Ruth Manning-Sanders, and Richard Matheson, as well as folk tales, fairy tales, fables, and mythology.
Some of my favorite books include: The Last Unicorn, Fahrenheit 451, The Word for World is Forest, The Forever War, Ishmael, A Book of Ghosts and Goblins, and The Phantom Tollbooth.