She dreamt of being an author when she was 8. Now, 48 years later, her dream has finally come true

The feeling of achieving your childhood dream is surreal and overwhelming. In that moment, the boundary between reality and long-held fantasy blurs, leaving you breathless with a profound realization that dreams can certainly come true. Something very similar happened to Bryn Donovan (@bryndonovanauthor) whose childhood dream of becoming an author turned into reality. She shared her excitement about her first romance novel, "Her Knight at the Museum" through an Instagram post.

With a wide grin on her face, Donovan seemed thrilled to be finally living her dream. "Yesterday, I celebrated achieving a dream I've had since I was a little kid: I published a romance novel with a major publisher! 'HER KNIGHT AT THE MUSEUM' takes place in Chicago, and it's been optioned for a Hallmark movie!" she wrote in her caption. Donovan's passion for writing began remarkably early when she was just 8 years old. Her early talent found recognition during her college years when some of her poems were published in literary magazines. Talking exclusively to Bored Panda, Donovan shared, "When I was in college, I got some poems published in literary magazines, and I got an MFA in poetry, but I still wanted to write stories that lots of people could enjoy."

But as they say, nothing comes easy. Donovan also had to struggle a lot to turn her dream into reality. "I signed with an agent who then ghosted me, for instance, and one editor at a publishing house who was interested in one of my books got laid off," the author shared. However, Donovan's strong determination and resilience never let her stop believing in herself. It took 48 years, for her to achieve what her 8-year-old self envisioned but Donovan at 56 got the biggest surprise of her life when not only her book was published but her novel was also optioned for a Hallmark movie.

"If you enjoy what you're doing, you're already winning. Cultivating a positive mindset gives you more energy, makes you take advantage of more opportunities, and makes you better at figuring out how to overcome obstacles. And don't act like your dreams have expiration dates," she shared with the outlet. Donovan, currently basking in the success of her novel, also spoke about her future endeavors. She shared that she has already written a draft for the sequel of her book, "Her Knight at the Museum". Moreover, in addition to being a full-time freelance editor, Donovan stated that she has a couple of other writing projects as well.

Donovan's story resonated with people who often hesitate to pursue their dreams, believing they are too far-fetched. Her journey exemplified the power of perseverance and the importance of believing in one's potential, despite insurmountable obstacles. The author's Instagram post received an overwhelming response from people who congratulated her for the big accomplishment. @tommyhazlenut wrote, "Love this! Great job never giving up on your dream." Similarly, @elizabethwebster wrote, "What a moment! Congratulations." @ardenjoy commented, "Happy book birthday! You’ve been a cheerleader for authors everywhere and this is SO deserved. Congratulations!" @mariecauley wrote, "This popped up on Reddit so I had to come find you over here. Congratulations! I'm self-published right now but still always looking for the traditional route!" On the other hand, @catherine who absolutely loved Donovan's novel wrote, "I loved everything about your book." 

You can follow Bryn Donovan (@bryndonovanauthor) on Instagram for more book-related content.