Before anything else, let's get over the boring part. Let me introduce myself.
WARNING: This might be a little dramatic because I've been a drama queen since I was a kid.
I'm Katrina Saba, 28-years-old, a freelance writer, aaanddd finally... a Novelist. Japanese name: カトリナ。サバ (Katorina saba)。Why a Japanese name? Because Japan is a huge part of my soul, which I just recently discovered. You can call me Kat or Katto (the Japanese counterpart).
Three years ago (2012), I resigned from my corporate job to finally pursue my dream to become a novelist. It was a huge risk and it was the most beautiful risk I have taken.
It's been a struggle for me. I had no permanent job. I did freelance writing and while there were what I call Golden Days, there were more Nganga Days.
Why not apply to another corporate job while writing a novel?, you might ask. Well, you might not find my reasons sufficient, but let me still tell you.
I had tried it.
Right after my college graduation (2008), I had immediately landed a corporate job. It wasn't my dream job (my dream job was to work in a magazine publication company), but I had accepted it because of financial matters. I came from a middle class family, and while we never really starved, it was always needs over wants. So it was the Corporate World for me.
My predicament back then wasn't about time management. It was about focus. While writing was (still is) my life, it wasn't a responsibility. My corporate job was my responsibility. So of course, my focus was on my corporate job. Yes, of course I still wrote (because I can't not write), but the products of my mind back then were more... fanfiction-al than novel-material. They lacked originality. They lacked depth. They lacked the real Katrina Saba touch.
When I resigned a year after, it took me eight months of bumming around. I had time to write. I tried hard to create an acceptable first novel, but all I was able to do was write Twilight fanfiction about Jasper and Bella (I ship them!).
Some writers can probably relate with me. Writers can always write, but not everything we write ends up as the one. My eight months weren't wasted, but they were not enough for me to... find the one.
Then there was always that nagging guilt. I needed to work because I needed to help. So I did work. Again. I had landed a marketing job in a real estate company after eight months of corporate hiatus. I worked there for almost three years.
And then I just woke up one day and asked myself, "Is this the life I really want?"
I passed a resignation letter a week after I answered that question.
Nine months. It took me a nine months of frustrated soul-searching to find the perfect story for my very first novel--- The Vardoger. It took me one month to write it.
Then there were the two-year compilation of rejection letters from agents and major publishers. The other publishers, you ask? They didn't even bother to reply.
November 2014. I went to Japan and got inspired. I loved the place so much and it felt like home to me. Five days. It took me five days to finish writing God Wrote My Love Story In Kanji. It's set in Japan. Obviously.
I tried passing GWMLSIK to local publishers. Again, I received no response. Not even a single rejection letter.
I didn't want to give up, but my wallet was already crying for help. And then a miracle happened.
My Mom, (I think she finally realized I really want nothing to do with my life other than this) decided to fully support me. She decided to help me self-publish. And Mom's friend, let's just call her Non-Christmas Santa, heard about Mom's plans and decided to fund me too.
Yes, self-publishing is hard work. You don't have the constant support of an Editorial Staff behind you. You have to pay for everything or if you don't want to, you have to do things your own way (Which is what I'm doing right now).
But the process is almost done!
Welcome to my page. And I hope you'll love my double header book. :)
KAT/ KATTO
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