It’s a moment she thinks about to this very day. A small, insignificant act of love that inspired her to chase her dreams for the last 15 years. A tiny girl, a blank booklet and an encouraging smile sent her on the path to success. It is where her story begins.
Marissa Howard, 5th Bomb Wing chief of media relations, remembers the day her little sister gave her the notebook she won at school like it was yesterday. A moment she admits made her realize she had the backing to do anything she wanted in life.
“She said ‘This is for you when you write your first book some day,’” Howard recalls with a smile on her face. “My family has always known I love writing and has always supported me.”
Growing up in Colorado Springs, Colorado, Howard always knew she wanted to be a writer. Early on in life, she had always been inspired by words, and her imagination often ran wild. She submerged herself in creative writing at a young age and through high school, but it wasn’t until college when she realized she had all the tools to become a successful writer.
“I love everything about creative writing, especially the way it can impact people,” Howard said. “To be able to create an entire world and put that on paper and share it with others, there’s just something special about it.”
It was just over a year ago when Howard thought of an idea for a book. It was a special story, one she felt connected to, and knew she wanted to share it with the world.
“I got the idea for the book from real life,” Howard said. “In the world today, there’s a lot of areas where love is lost. It’s interesting to me to see that and to see how the definition of love has changed over time or just disappeared altogether.”
With her writing, Howard strives to show readers what life can be like with or without love.
“I want to bring readers back to the simplicities of love, remind them just how special every part of love is,” Howard said. “Love has been dumbed down in a way, people don’t really see the depth of things like holding hands, throwing a child up in the air or receiving a smile from someone as much as we used to. If I can show readers what love is and bring a little back today, that would be my goal.”
Love is plentiful in Howard’s life. From her little sister’s support at a young age to her parents’ encouragement to her husband Austin’s overtime work helping her achieve her dreams, Howard never took their love for granted, she said.
“The support from my family and friends has been incredible,” Howard said. “I grew up with so much love in my life. I have been blessed with amazing people who have always told me to follow my dreams, which is a huge part to them becoming reality.”
In between jobs and determined to be a writer, Howard took just two months to put her story on paper, averaging 15 pages per day. She submitted the finished product to hundreds of agencies in hopes of getting published, but rejection letters flooded her inbox. Then one day, after months of discouragement and frustration, Howard received a call from an unknown number.
“I answered the call and the woman explained she was from a publishing company and then she said, ‘I read your book. It was amazing, and we want to publish it,’ and my heart dropped in my chest,” Howard said. “I had been waiting for that day for months. It was so surreal. My dreams were coming true.”
Over the next few months, Howard and her husband spent the majority of their free time planning for the release of the book. From choosing cover art to creating tags for search engines, the fast-paced process took over until finally, Howard held her published book for the first time.
“It was a really special moment,” Howard said. “Seeing all my work, my dreams and wishes come together in something I can hold in the palm of my hand was just incredible. There’s no feeling I could put into words.”
With the public release date fast approaching, Howard is excited to share what she says is a unique twist on a love story; one that hasn’t been done before.
“My dedication page says, ‘For those who choose to fight for love instead of simply fighting,’ and I feel like that describes this book in every aspect,” Howard said. “I’m just happy for my work to be out there. Honestly, if one person reads it and says, ‘Hey, this made me think about love differently or this impacted me in this way,’ that would be worth it to me.”
Whether Howard’s book sells 10 or 10,000 copies, she is happy with the opportunities she’s had over the last year, and she knows the people who love her have had everything to do with it. Since the day her younger sister handed her the empty notebook, to the day her husband watched with pride as she held her published book in her hands for the first time, her life has been anything but “Loveless.”