About five years ago or so, when I got serious about publishing my first novel, I announced it to my family and friends, and later on social media. I received a ton of support and I was really happy that so many supported my dream.

On the flip side, I was also inundated with emails from other writers, who warned me that I shouldn’t share that information because:

“Someone might steal your ideas.” — Unlikely.

“What if you don’t succeed?” –What if I do?

“Everyone is going to annoy you asking you questions about your book.” — I don’t find writing/book questions annoying at all and I take it as a sign of support.

“People will tell you they have ideas for your books.” –Who cares? I blink a few times and move on.

I’ve been writing since I was a child. I wrote short stories in crayon, (I actually…