A Time for Thanks

With Thanksgiving next week, I thought it was a good time to tell you what I was grateful for. So, here we go.

First, I'm thankful for my family, my husband in particular. There are often long days or late nights spent at the computer while I'm in the zone. I don't always want to go out because I have a self-imposed deadline looming over me. My husband is also the computer guy, the graphic designer and is responsible for my website design and maintenance. That's a lot  of support for one person.

I'm thankful that I can be a writer. When I was a child reading books by authors like Judy Blume and Lurlene McDaniel and S.E. Hinton, I dreamed of being a writer. I never thought it would actually happen, never thought I was good enough, but here I am; a best-selling author. That's an amazing feeling.

I'm thankful to my peers. People like Erin Nicholas, Lucy Lennox, JM Dabney and Sloane Kennedy have given me a leg up with their generosity. They've allowed me to promote my work on their social media and have shared my book with their fans. Thanks to their support, I've reached more readers than I ever expected to. I can say with certainty that I wouldn't be a best selling author without their support.

I'm thankful for e-readers, blog tours and social media. Without these things, I would still be toiling away, trying to find a way to get my books in the hands of readers. Thanks to the evolution of publishing, independent authors are thriving. When I first started out, I thought I needed an agent to succeed. That was true, but it's not the case anymore. Indie authors can do as well, if not better, than traditionally published authors. And even better for me is that I get to retain full artistic control. From the words inside to the cover outside, I have the final say.

Most of all, I'm thankful for you, the readers. If it wasn't for all of you taking a chance on an unknown author, I wouldn't be where I am. You gave me a chance and you accepted me. Your support and love of my books showed me that I do deserve to be here. For every book you buy, every review you write, every social media post you write or share, every email you send telling me how much you liked my book, for all of that and so much more, I'm thankful. I can never adequately express how much.

To those of you celebrating next week, Happy Thanksgiving, but even if you're not celebrating, I'm still thankful.