***Tynea Lewis, LitPick Site Administrator, has submitted this article on behalf of Braxton A. Cosby.

The Creative Struggle of Penning a Novel

by author Braxton A. Cosby

My name is Braxton Cosby, and I am the author of multiple titles. I’m also the CEO of Cosby Media Productions, which publishes other authors’ works. Our passion is to provide family-friendly works that speak inspirational messages to people all around the world, especially young folks.  I always get this question from readers: “What inspired you to write your first novel?”

So, I’m honored today to share a bit of my journey with LitPick. Hopefully, if you have ever had the notion to pick up a pen or type on a keyboard, or if you’ve started to write but have been discouraged, this will get you moving on your dream now. I was actually ‘called’ to write one day in church. Basically, I offered myself to be used by God, and I asked Him what He wanted me to do. I clearly heard a voice tell me to write a book. Since then, I began investigating what it meant to be a writer and what challenges I could expect. I wrote my first two chapters and became very discouraged at the daunting amount of work before me. I doubted myself, saying, “You’re not a writer; you’re a physical therapist. That’s all you will ever be.” I couldn’t accept the idea of trying something else. But something shifted inside me, and I stepped out on faith. I decided to give it a try, figuring I should at least finish what I started. I pressed forward and learned a ton in the process – I’m still learning! But I have not looked back since. The books I’ve written are works that I am very proud of, and I don’t regret a single page.

I’m currently re-launching Protostar: Book 1 of The Star-Crossed Saga (a young adult, sci-fi romance series) in preparation for the June unveiling of the sequel Supernova. I am very excited with the facelift because Protostar has a new cover and interior (some storytelling changes that make the story much more streamlined), and it is being published by my company. The close association to Tate Publishing allows me to have full access to retail stores and national media. 

Each book in the series has a double meaning in the title. Protostar is the birth of a star. It is also the first stage of the evolution of the main character, Sydney, in her star-child growth, giving her access to powers equivalent to the stars themselves. Supernova is the greatest cataclysmic event in the universe, a time of great destruction. It is also the next stage in a star-child’s evolution. Both titles have huge indications as to what the reader can expect in each book, with the message of accountability – making a choice and staying with it – and the limitless power of pure love. Plus, where would a sci-fi novel be without unique tech and cool fight scenes?

I say all of this to give you some perspective on how the choice I made way back in 2010 has gotten me to where I am today. If you can think it, you’re already half way there. All that’s left is for you to act on it.

My final advice to you:

Never stop writing, and never stop editing. I swear, you could make a zillion revisions to a work, but that only shows how much you want to get it right. The drive to put together the perfect story continues to encourage me. And the more I read, the better the style and story elements ideas I glean from other writers.

————-

Braxton A. Cosby is a dreamer with a vision of continuously evolving and maximizing the untapped potential of the human spirit. Braxton received his Bachelors, Masters, and Doctorate in Physical Therapy from the University of Miami. His first novel, Protostar: The Star-Crossed Saga, has won the Readers Favorite Book of the Year Award for Romance: Fantasy-Sci-Fi category and  the Literary Classics International Book of the Year Award for Sci-fi Young Adult published under Cosby Media Productions/Tate Publishing. Protostar and Supernova are now available as eBook/paperback/audiobook.