Lynn Sinclair, author of "Return to Aten"

For me, luck and timing played important roles in getting my first book published. I've dreamed of being a writer ever since Mrs. Jacks, my grade five teacher, first put a gold star on one of my stories (I should note that, as a child, I also wanted to be a veterinarian, a psychiatrist and a racehorse jockey). Throughout my teens, I wrote mounds of poems and short stories; kept a journal for seventeen years; and even tried my hand at a Harlequin Romance-type book. That particular attempt proved to be a dreadful waste of typewriter ribbon.

It all came to an abrupt halt when, in my late twenties, the man I'd lived with for six years died in a motorcycle accident. For whatever reason, I got rid of my typewriter, packed away my paper and pens, and didn't write again for the next fifteen years. Yet my desire to create continued to simmer beneath the surface.

It was a New Year's resolution that finally brought it to a boil. Each year, my girlfriends and I write out our goals, then seal them in an envelope until the following January. Over wine and beer, we laugh about our lack of conviction and how our goals have changed. In addition to the usual lose a few pounds, and travel to Europe, I always wrote, 'I will have something published'. I included this goal many times before finally admitting that if I were to have something published, I'd actually have to sit my butt down and write. And so, three years ago, that's what I did.

First, I needed validation. I didn't want to churn my creative juices if no one was interested in reading something I wrote. One of Canada's national newspapers, The Globe and Mail, publishes a personal essay each day on the back page of the first section. I whipped off a piece about people who leave their dogs in sun-baked cars (just a warning -- if I see you do this, I'll not confront you but I will leave a scathing note under your windshield wiper).

The newspaper accepted the essay, and I was on my way.

There was never any doubt in my mind that I'd write for teens. What could be more satisfying than capturing the imagination of a child? Secretly, I toyed with the hope that I might turn even one child into a lifelong reader. If I needed any more incentive to write, that was it. Anyway, my daughter was fast-approaching young adulthood, and it would be a crime not to take advantage of the relevant research material living right in my own home.

Nor was there any question about writing fantasy. Although my main character must deal with the same emotions as 'real' teens, I didn't want my hands tied by the real world. I wanted to explore things that could never be -- magic, other worlds, strange creatures, and unique customs.

The words flew onto the screen. They took unexpected detours and turns, but I enjoyed every step in the journey. Within three months, it was finished. I put the manuscript away for another month before editing and revising. I was ready to cast my line into the publishing waters.

I sent queries to a couple of Canadian publishers, two agents and one American publisher. As I waited for the rejections to arrive, I started on the sequel, Return to Aten.

And where does luck and timing come into this?

That American publisher -- Brown Barn Books. They were a new, independent publisher of young adult fiction, and, lucky for me, they were looking for new authors. Perfect. In May 2005, "Key to Aten: The First Chronicle of Aten" was released. It was exciting to see my name on the cover and my words inside. But the best moment? When my daughter first read the dedication: Shelby, this one's for you. You might think it's a cliché, but her eyes really did shine that day.

Writing my Backstory has made me realize how quickly the last few years have passed. It truly is all a blur. And reading the other Backstories proves how everyone's journey is different -- why we do it and how we do it.

But the important thing is that we just do it.

Lynn Sinclair is the author of Return to Aten.