That is how I became a quilter. When my wife's mother. They all told me they were too old to make quilts.
I took that as a challenge. I used the same approach I use as an engineer, researched how quilts were made, bought a small sewing machine, and got started. That first quilt led to many more, along with a quilting blog, patterns of my own, and an Etsy shop that has been running for more than fourteen years and has nearly 1,900 sales.
I have been an avid reader for years, especially LitRPG. I have always looked for stories that do something different from the standard overpowered main character. During that search, I realized that none of the stories I found combined everything I wanted. Much like the quilt, I decided I could try making one myself.
That became Not Meant to Survive. I wanted to write a LitRPG where progress meant more than fighting and killing. I enjoy practical problem-solving, crafting, exploration, and watching people work together to build communities. Those interests became an important part of Mark's story.
As the story grew, I started building software to help manage it. That has included tools for tracking chapters and characters, checking promotional linkbacks, collecting reader comments and statistics, and helping me understand how readers move through the story.
These days, my creative energy has three main outlets: writing software, making baby quilts for others, and writing LitRPG stories.
I approach writing much like my other projects. I build something, learn from the process, listen to useful feedback, and keep improving it. Not Meant to Survive is my first published series, and I am looking forward to seeing where writing takes me next.