From a young age, Katie Ganshert knew she loved to write. After spending time in Kenya doing HIV/AIDS outreach, she was haunted by some of the devastation that she saw. She used writing as an outlet for her experience. Even though she managed to write a full length novel, she realized it was harder than she thought to get published.
In 2008, while spending Valentine’s Day in NYC with her husband, she knew that she had to turn her writing from a hobby into a career. She revised her first two novels and wrote two more. And as they say, the rest is history…she found an agent, and got a two-book deal with Waterbrook Multnomah, a division of Random House.
As Katie’s third book, A Broken Kind of Beautiful, comes out on April 15th, she dishes on some of the lessons she wishes she had known earlier in life:
Stop wasting energy on worry. The flat tire that you let ruin your ENTIRE day. The traffic jam that is making you late and now you’re freaking out. The unexpected bill in the mail. That person’s mean words or rude attitude? Chances are, you will remember none of it in five years. Chances are, you won’t even remember it in five weeks. So why waste perfectly good energy on things that in the grand scheme, just aren’t a big deal? Twenty-year old self, take a deep breath and keep whatever’s stressing you out in perspective.
Appreciate the journey. Yes, I know. This is cliché. But girl, it’s true. I know you have big dreams and you are so very eager to see those dreams come to fruition. You often think if only I could get there, then I’d finally be on my way. Honesty moment? Dreams are awesome, but they are also a ton of work, sometimes of the pull-out-your-hair variety. I pinky promise you, there will be times when you will look back on the beginning (before contracts and deadlines and outside pressure) with a heart full of nostalgia and yes, even a twinge of yearning. Life is simple right now, where you are. Cherish it!
Travel while you can! Because before you know it, you will be married with a grown-up job and a mortgage and a dog and a kid. And while all of that is amazing and you wouldn’t trade any of it for the world, it makes hopping on a plane to places like Ireland or Italy incredibly difficult. Not to mention, way more expensive.
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