Five years ago, I bought my first house, started a new job, and decided it was finally time to take a chance on myself and my dreams. That was the moment Santiago Perez was born. I saw an ad on Facebook for indie authors looking for an editor, and the only catch was that I needed a story ready by the time of the call — one week later. By the time the call came, I still had no idea what my story was supposed to be. But when the editor asked what it was about, the entire thing — plot, characters, names — just fell out of my mouth. I was so stunned I had to grab a pen and scribble down the names before they disappeared. It felt less like creating something and more like remembering something I’d forgotten. Meeting the characters — Santiago, Samantha, and Mason — was like meeting a newborn for the first time. Instant connection. Instant love. They arrived fully formed, their relationships fitting together like a puzzle a kindergartener could solve. I know I may never get that lucky again, but I adore the dynamic they’ve built. They felt so familiar that I could picture them standing in front of me, living and breathing in the real world. These characters changed me in ways I never expected. Their emotions were real as I wrote them — Samantha’s fear, Mason’s regret, Santiago’s worry. I felt every bit of it as if their hearts were beating inside my chest. And even when I thought I knew where the story was going, they often had other plans. My fingers followed their lead more than my outline. The process took five years — far longer than I ever imagined — and even after typing “The End,” I knew some parts didn’t align with what the characters wanted. So I rewrote, reshaped, and re‑listened to them. Some things I kept the way I wanted, hoping they’d forgive me in the next book. If there’s one thing this journey taught me, it’s that dreams don’t show up fully formed — they show up as whispers, as scribbled names on a notepad, as a story you didn’t know you were brave enough to tell. One Step Closer is proof that taking a risk on yourself is always worth it. And now that the first book is out in the world, I’m more determined than ever to keep going. The Santiago Perez series is just getting started.
