Debutant changes career path to realize her dream

A 2020 graduate of Riverside High School has spent the past month realizing her dream of becoming a published author at the age of 23—a feat that took motivation, determination, and a leap of faith.

Paisley Jacobs, a recent graduate of the University of Miami, has begun writing her dark romance novel, Heaven sentin January 2024. The paperback version is now available online at Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Books-A-Million, Target, and Walmart, as the first book of three in her upcoming Whispers of vice and virtue series.

There is also an e-book version available on Kindle. In just a few short weeks, Heaven sent will be in stores at Barnes and Noble, Target, Walmart and some local bookstores, she noted.

Jacobs, a native of DeGraff who now lives in Richwood with her fiancé, Vance McClanahan, has been an avid reader since childhood. She said it was a natural progression to make writing her career.

“As a child I always had my head in a book and that’s still the case. I love reading everything from romance, thrillers, classics to fantasy,” she said this week. “I have over 200 books and I fly through them, as I read one to three a day.

“I’ve dreamed of becoming an author since my senior year of high school. I’ve read so many books that I loved the idea of ​​writing one. The idea was always in the back of my mind, but I never thought it was realistic, so I saw it more as a far-fetched dream than a possibility.”

After high school, Jacobs enrolled at Miami University, originally pursuing a bachelor’s degree in English studies, with plans to become an editor. However, her goal of publishing a book was still on her mind.

“I was trying my best to juggle full-time school, a job, and writing a book, but unfortunately I never found the time to write and my book kept getting pushed to the side,” she said. “Then one day I met an author who was about my age and heard her story. Her story inspired me to take a leap of faith and prioritize my book above all else.”

The author said she chose to graduate early from Miami University after completing her Associate of Arts degree so she could begin writing her book.

“It was a risky decision and I was terrified to take such a big leap into the unknown, but in retrospect it was the best decision I ever made for myself. I work part-time at the Ribbon Box Bakery in Marysville, but I continue to prioritize my writing above all else.

“While I could have published a book without my associate’s degree, I don’t regret for a second the time I spent on my education. My time in Miami made a huge difference in my writing and editing skills, and I’m so grateful to my parents and fiancé for helping me get through college and to where I am today.”

Heaven sent follows the story of protagonist Angelina Vittori, who needs money to escape the obsessive control of her antagonist father. So Angelina becomes a gold digger, stealing from a mafia boss known as Nicolai Leone and getting away with it; that is, until he finds her.

Nicolai falls in love with Angelina and gives her a purpose in life.

“He trains her to be his new partner in the mafia through lessons in fighting, knife throwing, strategy, awareness, shooting, poker, action driving and assassination,” Jacobs said. “Nicolai thought training her to be ruthless would protect her, but he ultimately lost her.

“Read the book to find out what happens to Angelina and if she survives. ‘Heaven Sent’ is suspenseful and exciting, and you will never want to put it down.”

The RHS graduate, who said her favourite authors were inspiring young author Lauren Roberts, along with Penelope Douglas, Emily McIntire, Sarah J. Maas, Rebecca Yarros and Freida McFadden, said the writing process was “long, stressful and hard work” as a publisher in itself, but also extremely rewarding. She also described the time-consuming process of editing and formatting her novel.

“‘Dreams don’t work unless you do’ is a very accurate statement to describe what the process was like for me,” she said. “I had to learn everything along the way, do a ton of research, and most importantly, I had to put my book above everything else. I barely worked any hours at work and when I did have time to spend with friends/family, I was glued to my computer.

“My biggest challenge was doing this alone. I didn’t have a publisher, an agent, or anyone with publishing knowledge to help me… It was lonely at times without anyone understanding the struggles I was facing, but in the end I can say I did it all by myself and that’s a feeling like no other. It makes you feel like you can achieve anything you put your mind and work into.”

Jacobs said her favorite young fellow author, Roberts, who Powerlessinspired her to follow her dreams and made her believe that publishing a book was possible. She learned about Roberts’ journey on social media.

“She’s about my age, and I felt like I could relate to her so well. Seeing how happy she was after taking a risk like dropping out of college to become an author opened my eyes to the fact that my dream was possible.

“Without hearing her story on her social media and podcasts, I’m honestly not sure I would have found the courage to follow my dream of publishing. Lauren Roberts has no idea who I am, or that she changed my life with her story. I hope to be an inspiration to others to follow their dreams, as she was to me.”

Jacobs encouraged other aspiring authors of all ages to “never stop writing.”

“Write when you feel like it and write when you don’t. There were times when I would stay up until 3am writing, cancel plans to write or put on my headphones to write in the chaos. If you want your dream of publishing to come true, write the book first and worry about the rest later.

“Don’t leave an untold story inside yourself, because you never know whose life you may change with your words.”