Can't say that I set out all those years ago to become an independent author, but here I am. When I started on this writing journey, independently published works were viewed as 'vanity press,' and anyone who went that route was a hack who couldn't get published by a legitimate publisher. Nowadays, sites like Amazon and IngramSpark have made self-publishing a valid route to have your work published for the world to read. There are various reasons I chose the self-publishing route for Rajani Chronicles I: Stone Soldiers. Yes, I tried a few times to get it in front of agents/publishers. I would be a fool not to. But the more I read about restrictions that came with signing on with a major publisher, the more I came to the conclusion that I wanted total freedom for this series. I wanted to be the one who chose the cover art. I wanted to be the one who had final say on the story. I even wanted to use this first novel as a test subject to learn about self-publishing and the various trials that came along with it. So I'm proud to see my novel as a finished product, both online and in print.