justin lesieur dot com slash how this all started

January 16, 2026

People assume the hardest part of writing a book is the writing. For me, the hardest part was finding the time. I’ve loved writing for as long as I can remember; scribbling stories as a kid, daydreaming scenes during long drives, imagining characters who felt like they’d wandered in from a slightly off‑kilter Coen Brothers universe. The dream of publishing a book was always there, steady and persistent, but life has a way of filling every available hour.

So I made more hours.

These days, my alarm goes off at 3:30 a.m. I get up, head to the gym, and shake off the sleep before most people have even rolled over. Then I come home, pour a cup of coffee or tea, and sit down to write while the world is still quiet. Layla, my tabby cat and self‑appointed muse, curls up in her bed on my desk and supervises by sleeping through the entire process.

It’s not glamorous. It’s not even particularly sane. But it works.

Waking up early became my way of carving out space for the thing I’ve always wanted to do. No excuses, no “maybe later,” no waiting for the mythical free afternoon that never arrives. Just me, the keyboard, and a cat who believes deeply in moral support via napping.

That’s how Layla Cat Publishing started. Not with a grand plan, but with a decision to finally make room for the stories I’ve been carrying around for years. And now that the habit is built, the words keep coming. I may not be a great writer (yet), but stick around and watch me grow.

If you’re here at the beginning of this journey, thanks for reading. There’s more to come. Layla and I are just getting started.