That's often the way. Things that are "surprises" and "overnight success" are actually the result of years of hard work. Trigger, the novel I published a few weeks ago, has actually been in progress for two years. I can't even count the number of drafts, rewrites, and edits I did before realizing in September that I couldn't do much more and really needed to let it go so I can move on to other projects. The Earthside Trilogy took three and a half years from rough draft to publication of all three novels. Rick and I were married for nine years before we were able to build our home, and we had Zack for 10 years before we found another companion parrot suitable for him (Chloe). The truth is that what we call luck is usually the result of a lot of hard work. Writers even have a saying for it: fortune favors the persistent. You can't succeed if you quit.
Of course, winning the lottery is an exception. That, perhaps, is luck, although my college statistics professors would more likely call it a statistical anomaly. Because your odds of winning the lottery really are pretty much none. In most cases, you're wasting your money, and would be better off saving it for - I don't know, a down payment on a new car, perhaps?
And by the name, the car's name is Saphira. She's named after the blue dragon in The Inheritance Cycle - not the woman in The Bible who dropped dead after lying to Peter about money, which was an epic fail indeed. The dragon, however, was awesome.
That's all today. Take care, and have a great rest of the week.
Bye!