For a long time, writing was the dream I kept tucked away.
I spent more than 20 years building a career in the financial industry. I learned how to lead, manage, solve problems, show up for people, and keep going even when life was demanding more of me. I’m grateful for the career I built, but somewhere along the way, there was still a little voice inside me asking, “What about the thing you really love?”
For me, that thing was writing.
I have always loved stories. I love the way words can create an entire world, make you feel something deeply, and sometimes put language to emotions you didn't even know how to explain. Writing gave me a place to dream, imagine, and create.
So, eventually, I decided to stop simply dreaming about becoming an author and chase the dream.
And then came Next Time Around.
This story was born from a place of personal heartache, but I didn't write it from a place of being broken. I wrote it from a healed space.
There is a difference.
Healing gave me the perspective to explore love, loss, timing, second chances, and the complicated emotions that come when the past finds its way back to you. I poured pieces of those feelings into the story, then spent countless nights trying to bring the characters, their emotions, and their journey to life.
There were nights when I questioned myself. Nights when the words didn't come easily. Nights when I was tired from my day job but still sat down to write because I knew this story was asking to be told.
And little by little, Next Time Around became real.
Holding that book in my hands for the first time meant more to me than simply becoming a published author. It represented the courage to finally pursue something I was passionate about.
It reminded me that sometimes the dream you put on the shelf isn't gone.
It's just waiting for you to come back around to it.
That belief is also part of why I created Kena B Bookstore.
I don't want this bookstore to simply be a place where you purchase a book. I want it to be a place where people discover something within themselves.
Maybe it's a love for reading.
Maybe it's the courage to finally write the story they've been carrying around for years.
Maybe it's the dream of starting a business, creating something beautiful, joining a book club, attending an author event, or simply giving themselves permission to try something new.
I want Kena B Bookstore to be a literary ally—a place that encourages dreams, celebrates storytellers, welcomes readers, and creates space for people to connect.
Online or in person, my hope is that this becomes a space where you can come as you are, find a story that speaks to you, discover something you didn't know you were looking for, and maybe even leave believing a little more in your own possibilities.
Because I know what it feels like to have a dream sitting quietly inside you.
I know what it feels like to finally say, “I'm going to try.”
And I know how powerful it can be when you do.
Next Time Around is my story of chasing a dream.
Kena B Bookstore is my dream continuing to grow.
And if there's one thing I hope you take away from both, it's this:
It's never too late to begin again.
It's never too late to pursue what makes your heart come alive.
And sometimes, the dream waiting for you is the one you almost gave up on.
Welcome to Kena B Bookstore.
Read. Feel. Heal. Belong.
There is always room here for your story.
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