I have been writing for as long as I can remember. If I trace back far enough, I think it all started with a children’s Halloween writing contest in the local paper when I was about six years old. I remember a limit of 500 words. I also remember thinking, “How can I possibly tell this story in only 500 words?”

In sixth grade I wrote “The Bear with a Tutu,” a short story about a ballerina turned into a bear by an evil witch. I don’t remember much about this piece except that it lives in a fire-safe box in my office, and more importantly, that my teacher wrote some incredible words on the top of the first page: “Eva, this is so creative. Please never ever stop writing!” She was an inspiration to me, and so I took her words to heart.

For every breakup, I wrote a poem or twenty; for every stress, I grabbed my journal; and for just about everything else, I delved into the mind of that little girl who wrote about a tutu-wearing bear. I also began to feast on the works of some of the most creative authors in an eclectic array of genres, leading my writing to transform from fictional biographies (strangely about more ballerinas), to horror, and soon after fantasy—and it was in this genre that I found I wanted to thrive. I had a wonderful mentor at the Institute of Children’s Literature who pushed me to create the first three chapters of a young adult book, and in college I had a professor who encouraged me to delve into more mainstream, deeper work, leading me to fall equally in love with the contemporary/mainstream style, and also the idea of writing for adults.

Several years later, I’m still writing—although my journey has been a bit of a wild zig-zag across multiple paths and far too many years of distractions. I have a day job and about fifty hobbies, but I also have a passion to write, and for the rest of my days I intend to live my life immersed in this passion.

And so, I welcome you to join the folds of what Eva Rieder always intended for herself to be, and I thank you for your thoughts and ideas as I navigate that which is truly the center of my being. Perhaps, along the way, life will lead you to a similar place—with a promise to follow your true passion.