 We’ve all had that quiet whisper: Someday I’ll write the book. For years, Sheena Black carried her story ideas in a worn shoebox that traveled with her through multiple states, jobs, and even the floodwaters of Hurricane Katrina. Inside were the notebooks of a girl who never stopped dreaming, even when life kept telling her to wait. Then one day during the pandemic, she opened that box. And everything changed. What followed wasn’t just the decision to write—it was a homecoming. Now, Sheena is living proof that the stories we carry don’t expire. They wait for us to become the person who can finally tell them.  What inspired you to pursue writing seriously? I think the answer starts with a shoebox. During the pandemic, I was cleaning out closets and came across a shoebox that had followed me through multiple states, jobs, relationships, and seasons of life. Inside were story ideas, chapter titles, outlines, and notebooks I'd been carrying around for nearly thirty years. As I sat on the floor reading through those pages, I realized I had spent most of my life telling myself I would write "someday." The funny thing is, I had been writing all along. I grew up moving constantly. By the time I graduated, I had attended 33 schools. Books became my friends when friendships were interrupted by another move. Stories traveled with me when addresses changed. Long before I called myself an author, I was filling notebooks with characters, ideas, and scenes I didn't want to forget. Finding that shoebox felt like meeting my younger self again. She had been patiently waiting for me to stop making excuses and start writing the books we'd been carrying around for decades. Even today, I still keep notepads and pens nearby. There is one on my nightstand, one in my purse, and usually one within arm's reach wherever I'm sitting. I've learned that story ideas rarely arrive when it's convenient. They show up in waiting rooms, grocery store lines, doctor's appointments, and sometimes in the middle of the night. My heart and mind have always been rooted in storytelling. Finding that shoebox reminded me that I wasn't chasing a new dream. I was returning to one I'd carried my entire life. That's when someday became today. Have you ever felt behind in your writing journey? Absolutely. For years I convinced myself there was a correct path to becoming a writer. I thought you needed a degree, industry connections, or some kind of official invitation. Meanwhile, life kept happening. I became a young mother. I worked in casinos, investigations, security, education, and the post office. I survived Hurricane Katrina. I navigated health issues that would eventually lead to a diagnosis of Mixed Connective Tissue Disease after decades of unanswered questions. I would look at published authors and think they were miles ahead of me. Now I see things differently. Every job, every move, every friendship, every mistake, and every challenge became material. Looking back, I wasn't behind. I was gathering stories. What's one hard lesson publishing has taught you? Publishing taught me that rejection isn't always about the writing. When I first started querying, every rejection felt personal. Then I started hearing different opinions from different people. One person loved something another person didn't connect with at all. Eventually I realized agents are readers first. They're looking for the project they can't stop thinking about. That doesn't mean the other books are bad. It simply means they weren't the right fit at the right time. The lesson I carry with me now is simple: listen to feedback, learn what you can, and keep writing. Every writer faces self-doubt. How do you handle imposter syndrome? I think self-doubt found me long before publishing did. I dealt with it in school, at work, and later after becoming disabled. There were times I worried people would see my medical history before they saw my stories. I wondered if I had started too late or if writers with degrees knew something I didn't. Then I started looking at my life differently. Nobody else has lived my exact story. Nobody else attended 33 schools, survived Katrina with a floating Rubbermaid bin holding family photographs and story ideas, or found themselves rebuilding a lifelong dream in their forties. Those experiences don't make me less qualified to write. They're the reason I write.  Need an expert critique of your query letter, synopsis, novel/manuscript, or nonfiction book proposal? We have you covered. Check out our critique options and many success stories who found literary agents after working with us. How has your family influenced your storytelling? More than any writing class ever could. My grandmothers kept journals. My mother loved stories and kept a journal. Some of my favorite memories involve sitting with family members listening to them talk about life in Kentucky, and mid-west living. I still remember dunking graham crackers into coffee as a little girl while listening to my grandparents tell stories about family, faith, and the people who came before us. At the time, I didn't realize they were teaching me how to listen. Storytelling starts with listening. Those voices are still with me every time I sit down to write. What themes do you find yourself returning to again and again? Home. Not necessarily a place, but a feeling. Growing up, I moved so often that I became fascinated by the people who make room for one more chair at the table. Some of the strongest relationships in my life survived years of distance, moves, and changing circumstances. Those friendships taught me that home isn't always where you live. Sometimes it's who answers the phone when you call or meet up for lunch. I also find myself returning to second chances. Maybe that's because life has given me so many of them. What role does hope play in your writing? Hope has been part of my storytelling for as long as I can remember. My mother used to tell me that when life felt overwhelming, I should look up. When people passed away or things weren't going the way I hoped, I'd find myself staring at the night sky. Maybe that's why stars appear so often in my writing. I've always liked the idea that there are more stars in the sky than people on Earth. It reminds me how big the world is and how small our hardest days eventually become. Whether I'm writing romance, fantasy, or women's fiction, there is usually a thread of hope running through the story because I think readers need that reminder sometimes. I know I do. What experience changed the way you look at storytelling? Hurricane Katrina changed a lot of things for me. I lost my home, my belongings, and nearly everything I'd spent years building. When the water receded, one of the few things that survived was a Rubbermaid bin filled with family photographs, journals, and pieces of my writing. Looking back, I think that's when I learned the difference between possessions and stories. Houses can be rebuilt. Cars can be replaced. But the stories we inherit from our families and the memories we carry forward become part of who we are. Years later, many of those memories found their way into my books.  Want to sell more books and market yourself? Check out the guide CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM. The book explains how to build an audience, understand social media basics, sell more books, increase promotion & publicity, get engaged online, and much more. How has living with chronic illness influenced your writing? Living with chronic illness has changed how I write, but it hasn't changed my desire to tell stories. Some days typing for long periods isn't practical, so I've learned to adapt. I use dictation when ideas arrive unexpectedly, whether I'm sitting in a waiting room, resting, or traveling. I've dictated scenes, chapter ideas, and character conversations because inspiration rarely checks my schedule before showing up. I also rely on a large whiteboard, oversized markers, color-coded index cards, and craft books. Some days it's easier to map a story visually than type it out. I've attended workshops, read extensively about the craft, and learned something from every writer willing to share their experience. I also write cinematically. I'll close my eyes and replay a scene like a movie. Sometimes I'll listen to music that fits the era, wear a familiar flannel shirt, or spray a scent that reminds me of a specific memory. Those little details help me step back into a moment and better understand what my characters are experiencing. Chronic illness taught me not to wait for perfect conditions. The story doesn't care whether it arrives through a keyboard, a marker, or a voice recorder. It just wants to be told. What do you hope readers take away from your books? I hope they feel like they spent time with a friend. Some of my favorite books stayed by my side for years after I finished them. Not because of a plot twist, but because I missed the characters when it was over. If someone closes one of my books and feels a little less alone, a little more hopeful, or immediately wants to share it with a friend or book club, that's about the best compliment I can imagine. Why do you keep writing? Because stories have always been there. When life was good, they were there. When life was hard, they were there. They followed me through schools, jobs, states, hurricanes, surgeries, friendships, and every chapter in between. I think my entire life has been one long lesson in observing people. From family and friends to strangers I met through work, travel, and everyday life, I've always been fascinated by how people react to the world around them. Working in surveillance taught me that everyone has a story, even if they're not telling it out loud. When I sit down to write, I'm not creating characters out of thin air. I'm creating a world inspired by the faces, places, conversations, and experiences that shaped me into the person I am today. For years those stories lived in a shoebox waiting for their turn. Now it's their time. And I still have a lot of stories left to tell.  Learn secrets and proven paths to finding an agent with the book GET A LITERARY AGENT. The guide explains query letter writing, submission dos and don'ts, how to craft engaging opening pages, synopsis FAQs, nonfiction proposal tips, literary agent pet peeves, and much more. How have your past careers influenced the way you create characters? I think my entire life has been one long lesson in observing people. As a child, I moved often and learned how to watch people before I spoke. Later, my careers only strengthened that habit. I worked in surveillance, investigations, security, education, and customer service, all places where paying attention matters. Over the years, I learned that everyone has a story, even if they never tell it out loud. People reveal themselves through their actions, reactions, body language, and the choices they make when they think nobody is watching. I also grew up listening to family stories, reading everything I could get my hands on, watching movies, and studying how characters moved through the world. Even now, when I'm writing a scene, I'll often close my eyes and picture it like a movie. Sometimes I'll play music from a particular era or surround myself with familiar scents and memories to better understand the atmosphere I'm trying to create. My characters are rarely based on one person. They're often a blend of people I've met throughout my life, and it's a blend of lessons and listening. When I sit down to write, I'm not creating people from scratch. I'm creating a fictional world inspired by the faces, places, conversations, and experiences that shaped me into the person I am today. What do you think stories can do that everyday conversation sometimes can't? Stories allow people to see themselves without having to explain themselves. Throughout my life I've met people carrying things they never talked about. Some were grieving. Some were lonely. Some were struggling with illness, family, identity, or simply trying to find where they belonged. Not everyone is ready to sit down and tell a stranger their story. Sometimes they find pieces of themselves in a character first. That's what books did for me growing up. Through all the moves, changing schools, and different chapters of life, books reminded me that other people had felt the same things I was feeling. If one of my stories helps someone feel a little less alone, then that's one of the greatest gifts writing can offer. What keeps you hopeful when a dream takes decades longer than you expected? I think hope comes from realizing that life isn't always late. Sometimes it's simply taking the scenic route. For years I believed writing belonged in the "someday" category. Meanwhile, life was quietly giving me stories. Looking back, I don't think I was waiting on writing. Writing was waiting on me to become the person who could tell those stories. The little girl carrying notebooks, the young mother trying to make ends meet, the woman rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina, and the writer sitting here today are all part of the same story. Every chapter mattered. That's what keeps me hopeful.  Sheena Black writes stories inspired by lived experience, family roots, lifelong friendships, and the belief that it's never too late to begin again. Her work often explores themes of home, hope, second chances, and the connections that shape us throughout our lives. An advocate for invisible disabilities, she enjoys creating characters who reflect the diverse experiences, challenges, and triumphs of the real world. Throughout her career, Sheena has worked in education, investigations, surveillance, security, and policy writing. She has also appeared in television and film, experiences that continue to influence the way she approaches storytelling and character development. She lives in Ohio with her supportive husband and their blue-eyed husky, Brutus. Her son proudly serves on active duty in the military, fulfilling a dream he has had since his toddler years. Diagnosed with Mixed Connective Tissue Disease (MCTD) after decades of unanswered questions, Sheena remains hopeful that one day there will be a cure. Until then, she continues to align her daily life around creativity, advocacy, family, and writing the stories she has carried with her for years. Sheena enjoys collecting story ideas in notebooks, watching 80's movies chatting or getting together with old and new friends, relaxing drinking tea while looking up at the stars.  This post was complied by Brandy Vallance, a literary agent with Barbara Bova Literary Agency, an award-winning author, and Executive Aide for Writing Day Workshops. Brandy is the winner of two national writing awards, one of which included a $20,000 prize. Her novel, THE COVERED DEEP, has been featured in USA Today & Writer’s Digest. WITHIN THE VEIL has been called “passionate and riveting” and Publisher’s Weekly encourages those who like sweeping Scottish sagas to dive in because “the journey is wonderful.” Brandy loves helping writers break the chains of fear and self-doubt. You can find out more at brandyvallance.com.  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