Hello, my name is Lisabea, and I am a blogger.

For those of you who don’t know this already, LB Gregg is a pen name for another pen name, (Lisabea or LBea), blogging gal from over at Nose In A Book. Yes, that means some of y’all would like to strangle me, or throw tomatoes at me, but, I am who I am.

I started writing through blogging. At first I was a lurker, too intimidated to type “hello” (it’s true!!), then as I grew more bold, I became a commenter, and finally, with so very much to say all the friggin time, I started my own digs. Things got a bit out of hand ::cough:: and not only did the blog gain some reasonable success, I made a heaping load of friends who were gobs of fun, smart, and supportive.

Blogging. It’s hobby. It’s a passion. It’s an addiction. It’s an em-effing compulsion.

And it’s totally fun.

About 8 months ago, my friend Sarah (Rain on the Roof) sent me this link.

LOOK! For those of you who are tentative about posting, or are intimidated by the process, it’s a very easy, liberating, creative way to express yourself. Here’s a great list to follow for success.

What I love about these ridiculous instructions is that it takes what we do intuitively and it simplifies the process. For a while, I had this taped to my computer. No Kidding.

For those of you who know my blog, “try not to be a dick” is pretty high on my list of what people should to strive to do. I can be an ass (often, and loudly) but I’m not a dick and neither are my friends. We’re obsessive readers, we enjoy talking to each other, we hope for clarity, and everyday, we get better.

S’all good. Easy peasy, this blogging thing.

Last spring, my pals encouraged me to start writing romances.

I’m sure that there are plenty of folks who would state I should have kept to blogging, but it seemed to me that writing m/m romance was a natural progression–instead of talking about books and blabbing with my pals (still fun!), I thought I’d write books for my pals to blab about. It worked out, sorta.

Writing. Let me assure you all that there is NOTHING I find easy about this process. Good God. No.

Any way, one morning a few weeks back, I checked my email (as I do every morning, multiple times, per hour) and a pal had sent me this link. OK maybe you’re not a link clicker (I’m not, either), so I’ll just post the content here:

HOW TO REALLY WRITE! (LBea: At last! All shall be revealed!)

So simple a monkey could do it.

Not so fast, fellow readers, because the indefinable things missing from this in depth How To are many. Talent, perseverance, a grasp of the literary process, determination, blood, sweat, and tears. Heart. Chutzpah. Fear. Fearlessness. Patience. Obsession. Discipline. Fortitude. A willingness to eat ramen noodles. And a thick, thick skin.

There’s a huge difference to me in putting oneself ‘out there’ as a blogger (yes there’s ridicule and idiocy) and putting oneself out there as an author. Holy Macaroni, it’s a huge leap into the abys of trust and faith and hope and shame. It’s just…invigorating. An adreline rush for the couch potato.

And while it ain’t easy (even though it looks it) it’s a hell of a ride, and I’d do it all over again. Oh. Wait. I am!