After a lifetime of dreaming, it’s finally here.

And I have you to thank.

When I first joined Writer’s Digest, in 2001, one of my first jobs was to write our column spotlighting debut authors. Today you know it as Breaking In (Page 18), but then it was called First Success, and it focused in depth on one author at a time. I’d read their books, speak with them by phone, and hang up full of contagious excitement at what they’d managed to accomplish, often after years of perseverance through false starts and rejections. More than any other interviews I’ve done, those conversations were tangled with emotion: joy, gratitude, relief, uncertainty, trepidation, passion and, above all, hope.

That’s why it’s still a thrill for me to see those authors’ names crop up again and again: Steve Berry, who now has more than 20 million thrillers in print; Brent Hartinger, whose young adult novels have been adapted for TV and film; and dozens of others who have me as a cheerleader for life because I had the privilege of sharing in that first moment—when anything seemed possible.

This is mine.

My own debut, Almost Missed You (out today in hardcover, e-book and audio from St. Martin’s Press), is a story about love, friendship and family; about missed connections and what might have been; about our belief in what’s meant to be.

And when it comes to my personal meant-to-be list, WD is near the top.

My novel was born through years of editing articles on fiction techniques and itching to put them into practice. Through heartfelt conversations with authors who I admired so deeply I could no longer deny that I aspired to be among them. And through interactions with you, our readers, the most determined, inspiring crew I know, who gave right back to me the very gift that we at WD strive to impart every day: that electrical charge of feeling a part of something, and of being as well-equipped as anyone can be for the journey ahead.

I’ve been dabbling on the page since I was a child, but when I got serious about pursuing the craft, nearly a decade ago now, I did so largely in the closet, uncertain how my efforts would be received. I can’t tell you how many well-timed insights, wisdoms and words of encouragement landed with me purely by happenstance when I needed them most.

Thank you for accompanying me on this adventure, and for continuing to invite me along on yours. I’ll never forget this moment—or how lucky I am to share it with you.

Yours in writing,

Jessica Strawser
Editorial Director, Writer’s Digest magazine
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