I was folding laundry when, ding, the whole idea for a story came to mind. The characters, the plot, the problem, the twists, and the resolution complete. I ran to my computer and pounded it out (I can type fast) in a couple hours (5,000 words). My wife is a wordsmith so I sent it to her for editing. She sent it back with a few changes and I made them. I was happy with it and sent it to a few friends. They liked it too. So I published it on Amazon Direct Publishing. The only thing lingering was to follup with a sequel. I had a few ideas but nothing solid.
That was 2008 I think. Couple years later and I get a check from Amazon for $1.35. I had sold three copies! I still have the check.
Its a good story, worth the $0.99 I charged for it. And I've since sold a few more copies.
The title is Dead, then years later it dawned on me that the sequel should be Reincarnated. — Act 1, Scene 1; 13 year old Julie Farerri is reminded that she was Blake Ryan (the main character in Dead) in a past life!
Buy it on Amazon: Dead!...