I have always loved magical stories about fairies, dragons, witches, and vampires with determined hearts. One of the reasons I love them so much is that they aren't human. Nevertheless, these fictional and fantastic beings all have human-like hearts and human-like struggles that they face in every fantasy story ever written. It's safe to say that I felt connected to these magical characters because they were different.
From childhood up until young adulthood, I suffered from Meniere's Disease. Meniere's is a cyclical inner ear disorder that causes severe dizziness, nausea, loss of balance, and hearing loss. Meniere's is devastating for any adult to experience, but it can be even worse for a child. The constant school absences due to Meniere's can be devastating to any child who suffers from it.
As a child, I tried to focus on what I loved to do despite my dizzy spells which was read books, watch movies, and play outdoors. It wasn't until the age of nine when I discovered that I had a talent for making up stories of my own. The day I wrote my first story about my little Scottish Terrier and his exciting adventures, I fell in love with the art of creative writing.
Thankfully, just before my thirtieth birthday, my doctor found the right treatment, which stopped my bouts of dizziness and nausea. I was finally able to live everyday life without the horrible monthly spells of dizziness. As for the gradual hearing loss, I eventually had to start wearing hearing aids.
I decided to make it my mission to inspire children with disabilities by writing about fantasy fiction characters who struggle with disabilities. My sincere wish is that children without physical disabilities will also love these characters and develop a sense of empathy for their disabled peers.
Although many hurdles hindered my success as a writer in my young adulthood due to Meniere's Disease, I just continued to write when I could. I held on to the belief that my suffering from Meniere's Disease and hearing loss would not be in vain. I knew that one day I would share my story of perseverance and determination.
A few years ago, my personal story of struggle, determination, and success transformed into my middle-grade fairy fiction novel about a determined whimsical fairy who struggles with a physical ailment. Even so, this robust little fairy desperately tries to succeed in reaching her goal.
I am so excited for tweens to read my book! I hope to inspire both young and old to follow their dreams, do what they love, and never give up. Even when the waters are rough, the strength of the human spirit or fairy's spirit for that matter, never fails!
Writing this novel has been an exciting journey for me, and I'm so grateful for all of the support, love, and encouragement I have received throughout the publishing process.
Cheers and happy reading and writing!
Gina Vallance 😊