Blackberry Dreams

I am a faerie, and my name is Blackberry. I enjoy sweet treats, magical things, and tutus. I am magically weird, and I sparkle and shine. I am also an author and an adult with ADHD, a traumatic brain injury, and a learning disability. I know I can do anything I set my heart and mind to with passion and faith.

What started out as literally a dream turned into my passion project. One night after I cut off all my hair, I dreamt I was a costumed faerie who read stories to children. In the dream, my name was Absinthe, and I wore green. Upon waking, I remembered feeling incredibly happy and fulfilled by this dream. I also remember thinking that Absinthe was not a good role model for children.

For fun, I enjoy dressing up in costumes and attending renaissance festivals and events. After four years of playing the same original character, Trouble Mayking, my inner child longed to be a faerie. I remember going to the mirror and asking myself, “what kind of faerie could I be?”

My jet-black hair and pixie haircut reminded me of blackberries, and I looked the name up online to see if anyone had claimed it as their own. Most of the social media accounts were available, and I made them mine!

I named my character Blackberry Fairy. Her last name is Fairy, which is a common surname in the faerie realm. Then I went to see what costume pieces I already possessed. Within 1 hour, I had enough black and purple pieces to turn myself into a faerie.

As a thespian, I knew that one of the best ways to get to know a new character is to write about them. I scribbled out a short story about an odd little faerie from Faeriedale who just did not fit in. I used personal experiences to tell her story, and on March 4, 2017, Blackberry Fairy of Faeriedale was born.

My profession is graphic design. I went to school for it, I graduated with a degree in it, and I have had a career doing it for over two decades. However, when I graduated from college, I discovered I wanted to be a writer, and I have been working on it ever since.

Having the natural gift of gab and storytelling, I longed to write. I tried to write a novel and a few short stories, but I was not a known name. Not a single literary agent wanted to take a chance on me. It was easier for me to get my dream job in my profession or meet my husband than get picked up by a literary agent.

As a graphic designer, I knew I could easily create a book, so I decided to self-publish. I quickly learned how hard it was to be a self-published author. Nobody wants to pay $10 for a print-on-demand book worth $3 if it was mass-produced. I have received several positive reviews for my book, but I have only sold about 100 copies. I believe the book’s price holds the success of the book back.

Moving forward, I intend to republish the book with illustrations and do everything in my power and budget to get my story into the hands of every child I can. I have nine more short stories to write about Blackberry. Right now, I am actively working on manifesting the startup capital to get my beloved faerie off the ground. The pandemic set back some of my fundraising events, but it allowed me to take a step back and figure out what I wanted to do and how I would do it.

My goal is to make faeries cool. Everywhere you look, you see unicorns and mermaids but very few faeries. I believe in my heart of hearts that faeries could be the next best thing, and I intend to be a part of it.

It has been interesting to listen to children at my events who ask me if I am a Disney princess. I tell them, “No, not yet.” They tend to bring up Tinkerbell, and I explain to them that she is a pixie and not a faerie. Most people do not know the difference, but it is my mission to change that.

My vision is crystal clear. I foresee a cartoon or a tv series about Blackberry Fairy. I believe that Blackberry Fairy will inspire children worldwide to be the best humans they can possibly be. I want them to know that they should never let adversity stand in their way or hold them back from their dreams.

Over the next few years, I will be publishing the first five books of Blackberry Fairy’s series. I intend to manifest the resources I need to acquire an RV to travel and entertain people while wearing my faerie costume. I will travel to various events to promote reading and the joy of creative writing.

A dream can become your reality; you must believe in it, and I most certainly do.