When I was a teenager, my favorite author was Victoria Holt. That was a pen name for Eleanor Hibbert.

People called her “The Queen of Romantic Suspense,” and I really think it was her books—along with Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre–that gave me the bug to write mystery romance. Especially historical mystery romance.

Recently, I came across a quote from Eleanor Hibbert–a.k.a. Victoria Holt–that I love. It’s:

“Never regret. If it’s good, it’s wonderful. If it’s bad, it’s experience.”

As many of you know, I recently decided, learned, and ultimately narrated/created my own audiobook. Granted, I did have enough confidence to give it a try. But I also had many worries about doing it. Would I, in the end, regret putting so much time, effort, and money into it? Would I have to forever after have to hold my head down in shame? I mean, it’s hard enough to put my thoughts, through writing, out in the world to see. But my voice??????

Well, now that I’m on the finished side of that process, I can say I don’t regret it. And it really is wonderful to me. And a great experience. That is partly because I really enjoyed the process. I also learned more about myself. Like, I have more of a drama streak inside me than I’d realized. Who knew?