THUNDER BAY — It had been a dream for Angelia M. Swan to write her own book.
She accomplished that in November when her first novel, Wasted Time, was released.
The story is a romance novel, featuring a heartbroken small-town heroine and her made-it-to-the-big-leagues hockey player friend.
The two-year process of getting there though had its own twists and turns.
“It was terrifying, I will admit that,” Swan said.
“All of the behind-the-scenes work was the easy part because it was just between me, myself and I. Once I had to announce that I was doing it and kind of giving such a big piece of my heart out to the public, that was really scary, but it ended up being exceptionally rewarding.”
Swan’s journey to becoming a published author began when she started a BookTok account, which is a community on TikTok that is centred around book reviews.
“I got the courage from that put my dreams into motion,” Swan said.
“I work full-time also, so it wasn’t like I could dedicate every hour to writing. It took about a year to write the book, which also includes the six times that I self-edited it.
“Then last February I sent it out to beta readers who looked over the book in its very rough stage and gave their feedback. After that, it was in my editors’ hands in September with a release date two months later.”
Swan wanted to stay within the genre of hockey romance, which is what she reads the most, for Wasted Time.
The idea of the main character sat in her head for a couple of months before she starting the writing process.
“I was learning more towards a heartbreaking kind of story rather than a fluffy romance, so I knew that I wanted to delve into some darker and more serious topics, one of which was being a woman in today’s day and age, along with mental health,” Swan said.
“I wanted to address those topics because I think that they’re very relevant in today’s society and then the romance element is interviewing with that.
“Essentially, the overall message that I want people to take is that life can keep knocking you down, but as long as you keep getting back up, there will be a light at the end of the tunnel.”
As she went through the process of getting the book self-published, Swan said that she soon realized that writing was the easy part.
“There’s so much that goes into that you don’t even think about,” Swan added. “You have to find a cover artist that you can vibe with and will bring your vision to life, and you have to find an editor that you can have clear communication with.”
Swan said that the feedback and support she’s received since the book came out in November has been overwhelming, especially from those in Thunder Bay.
“I was terrified to tell my family and friends because it’s really personal to put your art out into the world,” Swan said. “However, it has been nonstop support and I’m overwhelmed and happy with how the whole community has supported me through this process.
“It’s also been a little bit crazy with the feedback I’ve gotten from people online. I was not expecting to be getting direct messages at four in the morning from people in other countries screaming and crying at the top of their lungs and telling me that I have to put them in therapy.
“I laugh when I get those messages, but I also understand where they are coming from and I’m glad that the message is hitting them where I want it to hit them.”
Wasted Time is the first in a four-part series of novels that Swan is working on.
“The series is what’s called an interconnected standalone,” Swan said. “You can read them separately but each book is going to be about someone different that you’ve already met in these books”
Wasted Time can be purchased in paperback or as an eBook on Amazon.
