While becoming an author was one of my first heart’s desires, I joined the Marine Corps instead—stepping onto the yellow footprints at Parris Island just two months after high school graduation and one month before my 18th birthday.
Life in the Marine Corps kept me more than busy. Writing—aside from journaling—took a back seat for many years. It wasn’t until I transitioned off active duty to pursue entrepreneurial endeavors that I stepped into public writing for the first time through blogging. That was in 2006.
At first, I wrote mostly about my entrepreneurial journey. But as the failures began to mount, I found myself too overwhelmed and discouraged to keep sharing. The setbacks cut deep, and it became painful to put those disappointments into words.
In 2008, facing tremendous financial hardship, I returned to the Marine Corps on mobilization orders, refocusing my energy on being a Marine. It wasn’t until 2012 that I finally took on the challenge of writing my first book—a nonfiction work based on a concept I had created back in 2005 called the Loop of Confidence. A lot had changed by then: I had moved from Northern Virginia to New Orleans, given my life to Christ after a string of painful failures, and pursued my goal of becoming a competitive bodybuilder. I thought that publishing the book and launching a local radio show would be the breakthrough I needed to start a business centered on confidence development. It wasn’t.
In 2013, I left New Orleans after receiving orders to Marine Forces Europe and Africa in Germany, where I returned to blogging—this time focused on travel.
My next big push into writing and self-publishing came in 2016. Although, the year before, I had taken part in National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), writing The Hijacked Holiday. It took me another year to finish that novel, and it now still sits awaiting editing. I tackled a new project—a life series about my own journey, with each book written in a different country. Fueled by a passion for travel, I wrote one book in Guatemala, one in Belize, and another in Puerto Rico. It was a fulfilling creative project that blended two loves—writing and exploring. I hoped it might open new doors or lead to exciting opportunities. It didn’t.
The years that followed brought more twists and turns: more travel, more orders, and more questions about my purpose and calling. In 2019, I started a podcast, reconnecting with my old love of radio. And in 2020, during the COVID lockdowns, I expanded into guest interviews with a show called The First Time Storytelling Broadcast. That endeavor led to the creation of a course and the release of my first book on personal storytelling: How to Become a (First Time) Storyteller, published in September 2020.
That book—and everything it set in motion—marked a turning point. Over the past few years, I’ve refined, researched, applied, and expanded the framework that book introduced. I’ve watched it grow from an idea into a powerful tool for transformation, both for myself and the people I teach.
Earlier this year, I found myself in a trial I didn’t expect—one that brought a detour. But even in that, God has used the disruption to give me time and clarity to write again. And now, as I take the next step in my writing journey, I’m inviting you to walk it with me.
Arriving at this moment—officially launching Ann Bernard Books—carries with it a history. A long one. One filled with more than a few disappointments, detours, and unmet expectations. I’ve written and released projects that didn’t take off, poured my heart into ideas that went unnoticed, and lived through seasons where the desire to write felt both fragile and unreachable. But it never went away.
The dream to write, to publish, to share stories and truths, remained.
And now, thanks to the tools we have today—like ChatGPT, Grammarly, and the ability to self-publish with more ease than ever before—writing and publishing have become more accessible. It’s not easier emotionally, but it’s more doable practically. And that matters especially when you’ve waited this long and walked through this much.
Ann Bernard Books is more than my new self-publishing label—it’s a place where stories, testimonies, and truth meet purpose. It’s where I’ll be sharing what God has given me to write: messages that expose lies, awaken hearts, and call people back to the life they were created to live.
This blog will offer a behind-the-scenes look at that journey—from the books I’m working on to the stories that didn’t make the final cut, from writing insights to Kingdom lessons learned along the way.
Thanks for being here at the new beginning of an ongoing journey.elcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start writing!
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