I meant to write this sooner, but it's difficult to put into words how blessed I've been this year. Finding enough success as an author to consider writing as my career was a giant turning point in my life. 2013 will go down as one of my best years.
All of the blessings from this year were thanks to the Lord. Even the hardships He provided were meant to test me and my faith. There have been times this year when I wished to take the easy route. Instead, I relied on the Lord to lead me and I was never disappointed.
Preparing for our ninth Christmas in Indiana, my family is healthy and happy. The boys are home for schooling, so I get to spend more time with them. Sally loves her new den and reads like crazy. This has been a great year for her too and she's rarely been happier.
One of the decisions I made a year ago was to take up the cause of reader rights. It hasn't always been easy. On several occasions, people I liked on a personal level lacked the professional behavior I could support. Losing people I considered friends was the most difficult part of the last year. In the end, they showed their true colors and I realized I had lost nothing. God tested and I passed.
Another blessing from this choice was learning to love blogging. I started Indie Angie with no clue how to blog. What would I write about? Who would care? I was just writing to myself, so I started interviewing authors. Writing about others is always easier than writing about myself. I eventually created the zombie and review blogs. Had I not decided to reach out to other authors, I'd still find blogging an awkward pursuit.
I've met many amazing people through my reader rights efforts. The most important is Candy Girl who became my friend, co-blogger, sounding board, beta reader, and voice of reason. She was a sweet thing from the Netherlands who showed up on my blog to share how she was attacked after writing a negative review. Both new to the cause, we became fast friends. Oh, but do we go meow with each other on occasion! It's our personalities. Where I'm impulsive, she's wise. Where I'm hard, she's soft. We make the best team.
The weirdest turn of events from the last year is my friendship with Lauryl. Man, did she piss me off at the beginning of the year. I really hated how someone who wrote cool books would turn out to be such a dumbass. I thought Lauryl was a whiny brat. She thought I was a jealous bitch. We joined forces when someone messed with our friends (don't mess with our friends EVER). Months later, we're like sisters from a different mister.
We each have three boys and enjoy writing more than one genre. We have the same phobias and pet peeves. If we're sisters, I'm the bossy older one and she's the patient younger one. Meanwhile, Candy Girl is the youngest sister enduring us both.
So this year, I've made wonderful friends and grown as an author. I learned a lot from my amazing readers on how to improve my writing. I was one among many indie authors who found varying degrees of success this year. From the huge hits to the smaller ones, I've heard more and more about indies building fan bases.
This year has been amazing in so many ways and I'm thankful for every blessing and trial the Lord has given me.
Next post: I return to my snarky self.
No comments:
Post a Comment