I am very thankful – so here’s a gift to you from me!

It’s the time of year when many make note of what they are thankful for – when I think about my journey as a writer, I am very thankful for those who continue to believe in me and who maintain a continuance presence, even if they wait somewhat impatiently for me to share more stories with them.  Some day, I do hope to publish more than one book per year, but until then I appreciate the patience, understanding and motivation I continue to receive from others who enjoy my work and who care about my journey as a writer.  

Because I am so thankful to others who continue to motivate me, especially when writing this past year became very difficult, I decided to offer you a gift, just to say thank you.  My most recent book, “11:11 Anna’s Awakening,” is part of a promotion this weekend so that the eBook version of the novella will be available, for free, now and through the weekend.  If you haven’t seen the blurb for this book yet, here it is:

Everyone deals with grief in their own way.  Death can bring families closer together; sometimes it can tear them apart.  Only time can heal the wounds to build stronger relationships and while some relationships survive, sadly, others do not.  This is the story of two parents who suffer a great loss and attempt to build a new relationship with the memory of their loved one between them.  But as they both work through their grief, their relationship is threatened by many things…fear, anger, selfishness, even greed.  As husband and wife tend to their needs to survive the numbing loss, one of them must become acutely aware of these threats in order to change their fate.       

   

Obviously, the premise behind the story may seem a little dark and depressing, but it was therapeutic for me.  It also gave me something to sink my teeth in to because the story involved a mixed bag, to include grief, relationships, numerology and spirituality, and in the end, the story took on its own twist, which always makes me happy as a writer because I enjoy it when characters surprise me. 

So as a thank you to those who continue to support my dreams as a writer, I want to share this latest story with you.  If you want to obtain your free copy, check it out on Amazon, where the eBook will continue to be available for free through Sunday.

Unbelievably, we can now check one more holiday off the calendar as we move towards the end of another year.  I hope everyone was able to enjoy their Thanksgiving holiday and that you are now enjoying the weekend. 

Take care, have a terrific weekend and, as always, thanks for following!

Book #5 is officially out of the gate!

My latest novel, “11:11 Anna’s Awakening,” has now officially been published so that the paperback and eBook are available on line.  

It feels so good to be able to put another folder full of notes away so that I can focus on the next story.  My main goal had been to have “11:11” published on November 11th and because I missed that deadline last year, I was really hoping to make it this year.  

I just barely made it.  

It did take an extra day to get the eBook up and running and it’s going to take maybe another day or two until I’m certain the paperback and eBook are actually linked together on Amazon.  Regardless, it’s an early holiday for me, as I can now officially say I have published five books. 

Five books! 

The creative process is a crazy, rollercoaster ride of highs and lows but each time I’m able to hold another paperback with my name on it, I easily forget how crazy the ride can get and I just want to hop right back on the rollercoaster again. 

For anyone who isn’t up to speed on this most recent story, it is not part of the mystery series, but a novella about a couple dealing with loss.  Here’s what you’ll find on the back cover:

Everyone deals with grief in their own way.  Death can bring families closer together; sometimes it can tear them apart.  Only time can heal the wounds to build stronger relationships and while some relationships survive, sadly, others do not.  This is the story of two parents who suffer a great loss and attempt to build a new relationship with the memory of their loved one between them.  But as they both work through their grief, their relationship is threatened by many things…fear, anger, selfishness, even greed.  As husband and wife tend to their needs to survive the numbing loss, one of them must become acutely aware of these threats in order to change their fate.          

This story is a short read, but it’s also full of so many issues: loss, grief, friendship, marriage, betrayal, greed, numerology, spirituality and personal growth.  It’s an odd mix and might sound like a lot in such a short novel, but it’s just how the story worked out.  I’ll be interested to hear whether or not readers enjoy the story.  So far, the initial feedback I’ve received as been positive. 

The paperback is currently selling on Amazon for $9.99 and the eBook is available for $2.99.  It’s not currently available on Barnes & Noble, and won’t yet be available for the Nook, as I have decided to enroll the eBook as part of the Kindle Direct Publishing Select program on Amazon so that I can run some promotional offers soon.

I can now officially mark this project as complete.  I do realize that a book signing is long overdue, and I promise that it’s a task on my to-do list I hope to accomplish soon.  Maybe some time next year I’ll finally have another book signing…and if all works out, it could be right after my sixth book is published…but we’ll just have to wait and see. 

As always, thanks for following, and have a great week!

Another goal accomplished – now on to the next one!

The proof copies of my new book, “11:11 Anna’s Awakening,” arrived the other day.  Oh, happy day - I will never tire of the feeling I get when I open a box filled with copies of my latest book!  It feels good to finally complete another book and it feels even better to hold that book in my hands, knowing that very soon it will be out there for others to read.    

For this book, I opted to use the new matte finish, rather than the gloss finish.  I really like the feeling of the book but I will likely not use it again for any books that have dark covers, and thankfully this book cover isn’t completely dark.  I found out very quickly how easy it is to mark up the covers (my son had just eaten greasy chips before he held one of my books) and I’d rather not have to place my new books under lock and key in order to preserve them before a book signing, just to keep them nice and pretty. 

I wasn’t sure whether I’d keep the original look of the cover but I decided I like it and won’t make any changes.  While I’d like to make the title of the book a little bigger, I like the mood of the photo – it’s one I took during a road trip in 2007 when we were traveling through Nebraska – and I think overall the mood, photo and colors work with the feel of the story.

After I finalize this book for publishing, it will be book number five since I first published No Mother of Mine in 2012.  Honestly, I’m surprising myself at what I’ve been able to accomplish these past three years, even with the setbacks I’ve had.  Imagine what I’ll be able to do when I’m no longer working a day job! 

Even with the constant chaos around us, we’re all capable of finding inspiration and creativity within the chaos so that we’re able to feed our creative souls.  To anyone out there who feels as if they aren’t doing what they’re meant to do or who believe the goals they aspire to accomplish are just out of reach, I have two things to say.  First, find what speaks to you and believe in yourself, not the limitations set by others around you.  And second, always remember this quote:

 “The only limits you have are the limits you believe.”  

~Wayne Dyer~ 

It’s now only a matter of days and my fifth book will be published and available so that with another goal reached, my focus can shift on to the next task.  Very soon, I will be able to check this book off my to-do list as a completed task so that I can spend more time on my next two novels, currently in progress and waiting for my undivided attention. 

Another challenge overcome and another goal accomplished…the result is a feeling I’ll always enjoy!

From Loss to Healing and everything in between = a new book!

Today is an important day for me…I’ve submitted another novel for publishing so that it will be available in paperback and as an eBook later this month.  I wasn’t honestly sure if I would be able to make good on my promise to myself to get this book completed and out by November, but I’m thrilled I’ll be able to make it happen.

This novel is technically a novelette and I had nicknamed it “1111” whenever I mentioned it here on my blog.  That title won’t make sense to anyone until they read it and it would be difficult to explain beforehand because the concept behind the idea might seem a little strange.  The complete title is now “11:11 Anna’s Awakening.” 

The protagonist is Anna and she, along with her husband, Keith, are both dealing with a terrible loss.  Believe it or not, I began writing down ideas for this story long before my Dad passed away and while I’ve dealt with grief in the past, it was never as strong an emotion as that after the loss of my Dad. 

So, what did this mean for the story behind Anna?  Quite a lot, actually.  Initially, I had other plans for Anna and Keith and I thought my intentions were good with regard to how their story would end.  But then, as I worked and re-worked the plot behind the relationship between Anna and her husband, and whether they’d individually and collectively be able to heal from their loss, something else came to light…how much people can change after a terrible loss. 

And not always for the better. 

The story took on a whole new direction and caused friction and challenges to the relationship between Anna and Keith in a way I hadn’t expected.  We all know everyone deals with grief in their own way but what has become more apparent to me is that death can either bring families closer together, or it can tear them apart.  Only time can heal the deepest wounds to build stronger bonds and while some relationships survive, sadly, others do not.  The story about Anna and Keith is the story of parents who suffer a great loss and attempt to build a new relationship with the memory of their loved one still between them.  But as they both work through their grief, their relationship is threatened by many things…fear, anger, selfishness, even greed.  And as husband and wife tend to their needs in order to survive the terrible, mind-numbing loss, one of them must become acutely aware of these threats in order to change their fate.          

In the end, the strength and character of both Anna and Keith are challenged, and also revealed, and in turn, the fate of both is much different than I had predicted.  It shouldn’t be surprising that my characters revealed to me what their true story should be.  Still, I am, again, pleasantly amazed by characters that steer me in a direction I hadn’t anticipated and who provide me with a story I can enjoy sharing with others.

I’ll post again once the book is actually live and available on-line…thanks for following!