![]() In 2019, Ryan and I made the crazy decision to both go full-time working on the business. I want to get everyone to love reading again! I want my books to be for adults what Harry Potter was for children. Making readers cry is important, but sharing the joy of reading is even more important. So you know what? I just changed my mind. The best compliment I get, though, is when people tell me that they hated reading until they picked up one of my books. I always say…if my books don’t make you cry, then I haven’t done my job! One minute I’m laughing with my characters, and the next scene I’m sobbing like a baby. Because when I write, my emotions are all over the place. They’re a rollercoaster of emotions, which makes sense. That my books were real, and raw, and riveting. How I didn’t follow the normal romance formula of happily-ever-afters. I was constantly being told how different my romance novels are from what people usually read. The response from readers was overwhelming. That the reason my first two books didn’t work was because I hadn’t found my niche. He was convinced that this genre was going to be the perfect fit for me. With the popularity of Fifty Shades of Grey, my fiancé (now husband) Ryan Hauge encouraged me to read it. The market basically told me…no.īut the third time’s a charm. I sold maybe 20 copies of that first self-published book. And instead of even approaching literary agents this time, I decided to publish it on my own. One I thought was much better than the one I originally submitted to agents. That there was no room for my voice in the literary world. I was basically told it was a pipe dream. I wrote my first novel junior year and was…denied by dozens of literary agents. But in college, I decided to chase my dream. I always wished I could become an author. But even though I did work my way up into the highest reading class, I never would have dreamed to be on the other side of the stories I loved so much. So one summer, I read and read and read some more. I was in the lowest reading class and I was determined to work my way up to the highest. ![]() I found a love for reading in elementary school. I still pinch myself knowing how far I’ve come after all the nos I received early on. “I believe anything is possible if you’re tenacious and not willing to let go of your dreams. It’s been a wild ride to chase her dreams. When she's not writing, you can find Ivy binge watching too many TV shows, taking long walks, playing outside, and generally refusing to act like an adult. Her books have sold over 4 million copies worldwide. ![]() Ivy Smoak is the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, and Amazon #1 bestselling author of The Hunted Series.
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