December Is Here & So Is FALL...

 Happy Wednesday All,

Surprise! I'm actually posting BEFORE the end of the month! Imagine that. 😊

I think my part of Texas is confused about what season it is. We were having some cooler temperatures and then all of a sudden it decided to go up again. Now, that's relatively normal in a sense for us, but what is curious is that the tree in my backyard decided it wasn't winter, but FALL! All these colored leaves are covering my backyard. I looked around and thought "Guess the plants and trees are confused as to what season it is. Can't blame them since the weather is, too!"

December is quieter so far than September through November were and I am NOT complaining about that. In September, my father suffered a bad fall and consequently there was a whole lot of stress. October saw my folks move out of their home of over 30 years into Assisted Living. When November came along, me and my family had a stomach bug. The very beginnings of December was the tail-end of my parents' estate sale (auction). So, I'm fine with some quiet.

This is not to say my brain is quiet--that's a rare thing even during the best of circumstances. Querying is still going on with my never-been-published manuscript (mss) and I'm making some new friends with people in the writing/publishing industry which has been fun. I really enjoy how encouraging other writers can be and I try to do the same.

I've done a tiny bit of writing, but not as much as I probably should do--but I've also been trying to get my house in better order and get ready for Christmas in the Averie Household, so yeah, writing hasn't been at the forefront. But that's not to say I haven't been thinking about it and working out ideas! I most definitely have been doing that. My imagination doesn't stay still for long.

On The Author Encounter front, my business partner, Nan, and I are prepping for January and the new year. We're hoping to do more than we did this year (both of us have had a crazy, crazy 2022). Watch the website or Twitter for news. We do have some videos posted on the Facebook page and on YouTube.

Until the next time I post, I wish y'all a very happy Advent, Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, and happy holidays. If by chance I don't post before January 2023, Happy New Year!

Have A Whimsically Wonderful Wednesday!

Thanksgiving Week & More...

 Hi Everyone!

Wishing y'all a very happy Thanksgiving week! As I type this the day before I'm going to post it, my nails are currently finishing drying from me painting them red, green, and gold. Yes, I know, Advent hasn't even started, but I felt like doing it. The colors make me happy!

I'm not entirely sure what my Thanksgiving plans are. My sister and I talked about getting together for a bit, so we'll probably do that. I'm actually allergic to turkey (it makes me throw up... *insert sad face here*) so I either do ham or something like that.

My parents have moved. It's a good move for them. They lived in their previous home for 36-37 years. Me and my siblings have been encouraging them with the move--like I said, it's a good one for them. I don't want to go into detail, but it's been an emotional journey--one that I haven't talked about much publicly and don't intend to because it's something I view as very private. Just know that all of this is part of the reason I've been kinda quiet on here.

In other news, in the early part of November my family had a stomach bug. For the record, I don't recommend them. I'm not sure where youngest picked this thing up, but it wasn't fun. Youngest had issues for about 2 weeks (because youngest didn't ONLY have the stomach bug, there was also constipation involved!) and then later I got it (not the constipation, though. Only youngest had that), and the next day eldest and husband were down with it. The weekend was an adventure with Husband and I tag teaming taking care of Averie Cat and whatever was of immediate concern. Luckily, we recovered pretty quickly and I'm happy to report we seem to be doing okay, now.

We're praying for a quiet and easy December and being able to just enjoy Christmas. Christmas is probably my favorite holiday (although, I should probably choose Easter given my faith background--which, if you've been following me for long know that I'm a Catholic. Don't get me wrong, I love Easter, too. There's just some things about Christmas that mean a lot to me).

I've got several WIPs (Works In Progress) that hopefully I'll be able to do more with, soon. I've had some catching up on housework to do and some other things happening, but I have done some writing, so that's a good thing.

The Author Encounter is gearing up for next year and I think what's getting planned will be interesting! My business partner is an ambitious planner--and I've got mad respect for her skills!

I recently read Kasie West's Fame, Fate, And The First Kiss. I think Dancing Graves (the movie in the book) should be a real story. It sounded like fun. I've read several of Kasie West's books and I think this is probably my favorite so far. :-)

I'm intrigued with Kiera Cass's upcoming release, A Thousand Heartbeats it releases on November 29, 2022, so it'll be available soon. I'm thinking I'm going to have to read it!

What novels have you been reading lately (or if you don't read novels, what non-fiction)?

I wish all of you a very happy and wonderful Thanksgiving this Thursday! I don't know what anyone's faith background is...coming from mine, I like to say "May God bless you." Take care and be safe.

Have A Merry Marvelous Monday!

Saying Goodbye To October...

 Happy Monday All,

Also, Happy All Hallow's Eve aka Halloween! I meant to write an October post earlier this month, but there were things going on in my real life that made it so I just didn't get to it.

I'm doing okay--just a lot going on in my real life. But doesn't everybody usually?

October also means my birthday, which I celebrated by going over to my parents' house. Dad had a fall in September, so it was nice to see him making so much progress and doing so much better. I told them that since they had such an integral part of me coming into existence that it seemed appropriate that I'd come over for a visit. We had a lot of fun. It was simple, small, and just right for me. My parents gave me a beautiful card that touched my heart (I got teary!) and I got some other cards and gifts from my siblings. My husband got me Chinese food for dinner a couple of days before since I was going to be at my folks' house on my actual birthday. I can't complain. It was a good birthday. :-)

I've been doing some writing on and off. Aside from the novel I'm querying to agents, I've got a couple of other things in the works. I don't know what will happen with any of them, but one of them has been a good creative outlet for me, so that's good thing as far as I'm concerned. I can't talk much about them because I'm still in the process of writing them and I don't like to talk about things until they're on their way to being released.

The Author Encounter has Indie Author Day coming up THIS weekend! You can find out more on the website. (If you have questions, send an email to theauthorencounter (at) gmail (dot) com). We livestreamed Traditionally Published Day onto The Author Encounter's Facebook page. You can find the replay to that here. It was a blast! We had Pixel + Ink editor, Alison Weiss as guest for Behind The Page, and featured Ann Rose (agent with Prospect Agency) and Mid-Grade author, Tom Phillips. And yes, I did honestly think it was awesome that Alison likes hot apple cider.

To follow up on the event, I'll answer the question about what's my favorite fall treat? I don't know. I do like hot apple cider or cinnamon apple tea. For me, the perfect Fall day is one that's a bit chilly (for me that would mean somewhere in the lower 60s/50s) sitting inside with a hot drink, a cozy blanket, a good book or movie--or with family or friends. Averie Cat likes to hang out in my lap, so that could also be my version of a perfect Fall day.

During Traditionally Published Day, Tom Phillips mentioned The Frabjous Bunch (pronounced FRAB-JUSS). The Frabjous Bunch is a writer's group that Tom, myself, and author Brittany Tucker put together. The two of them are so supportive. Tom had a Mid-Grade debut in June of this year and Brittany's got a YA debut coming out in January 2023. I believe authors need supportive and encouraging people in their corner, so finding a group you feel comfortable in and can learn from the other members of the group is very important. I know that Tom and Brittany are there for me, just as I'm there for them. And yes, the word "frabjous" is a word you can find in the dictionary. Originally coined by Lewis Carroll (found in his poem "Jabberwocky") it means "fabulous, magnificent" (and in some definitions, better than fabulous). It's one of my favorite words. And I know most of the "Jabberwocky" poem by heart. My family used to quote lines from it. You can find the poem here. Speaking of which, those who watched ABC's Once Upon A Time: Wonderland will recognize "Jabberwock". In the poem, it's a terrible, strange looking monster, but in the show it's this woman who has the power to mess with your mind. Either way, I don't want to encounter the Jabberwock. (Also, I believe you can still watch the show on Amazon Prime--I loved how they reimagined it--and yes they did a little bit of tying in with the main Once Upon A Time show).

I hope to be better about posting a post for November, but I never know what each month will bring, so we'll see what happens. Life sometimes gets adventurous and/or busy, so some months I'm just very busy!

Anyway, I wish y'all a great end of October and hope your November is wonderful! God bless to you and yours.

Have A Marvelously Merry Monday!

September Ends...

 Happy Friday One & All,

Today is the last day of September. In some ways this month has felt long to me, in others I'm trying to compute the idea that tomorrow is October 1st. 

I do plan on keeping my blog to about 1 post a month, which at this point is what I can handle. My real life has had some big ups and downs lately, and it takes a lot of energy to go through it all. Rest assured, the writing world is still very important to me and I'm not inactive in it, I just can't post on my blog more than about once a month at the moment.

So, where can you find me in between posts? Well, normally I'd say Facebook, but I've had a lot of trouble with it, lately. It seems my phone and computer don't like the updates so it's slower than a 2-legged turtle in molasses on my computer and refuses to operate at all on my phone (other than Messenger, which I reserve for those on my friends' list, sorry, I don't do much of communicating with folks I don't know well). However, if you're a fan of my work and you want to send me a note, I'm ALWAYS up for reader emails! I love to hear from my readers, so feel free to reach out there at bethany (dot) averie (at) gmail (dot) com. No spam or solicitations, please. (Those WILL be deleted. Rude emails will also be deleted without a response).

Most often, you can find me on Twitter. (I'm rarely on Instagram, sorry. I have one and I get on it a few times a week, but not often--Twitter I'm on pretty much every day).

Anyway, I'll post more when I do my October blog post. For now, how a Fabulously Fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend!

It's Time For September...

Happy Thursday and September!

Somehow it feels like the months are going by faster. I'm not sure why I feel that way--maybe I've just been super occupied while things were happening.

In my personal life there has been plenty going on--from being a mom, to a wife, to my family-of-origin stuff, there has been several things happening. Some good things, some hard, some okay--basically life.

As far as my writing life is concerned, I've formed a private writer's group with 2 other authors. They're super encouraging and it's fun to be a part of a writer's group again. I hadn't decided what I wanted to do as far as joining one, so this is perfect for me at this time. I've been doing some writing (I've got like what is it, 3 WIPs--Works In Progress--right now? I don't work on all of them at the same time--I just go with whatever one I'm in the mood for or have ideas I want to add. Normally I don't work this way, but right now it's working for me). I'm still querying a finished manuscript of mine. We'll see what happens there. And I've got some projects I'm not ready to talk about, yet, in the works, too.

The Author Encounter is having a slower year because of stuff both in my life and in Nan's. We're okay, just things that we had let our members know about. Keep an eye on the website for announcements/info.

I've also been doing some reading. I haven't done a TON of reading and I skip around a lot from re-reading books I loved, to reading newer books. I'm not sure how many books I read in August...maybe 3? How about you? How many books did you read in August and are there any you're excited about?

Enjoy your September and to those who are back in school, I wish you a wonderful school year!

Have A Totally Terrific Thursday! 

It's ALREADY August?

 Happy August Everyone!

Wow...July went by faster than I expected. Between illness in the family (and again near the end of July and beginning of August), everything feels almost like a blur.

I continue writing and querying between all the other real life stuff that has claimed my attention. Life doesn't slow down and neither do the demands of motherhood. I'm ready for all of this to settle down. I turn to my Catholic Christian faith a lot, which has been a source of comfort and help.

I've got several WIPs (Works In Progress). I'm hoping to continue with Greek gods and goddesses--but one I'm working on is NOT part of my Immortal Dreams series. I also have some other things in play--fairies/Fae, maybe mermaids? With me, you just never know!

The Author Encounter is taking this a bit slower this year--my business partner, Nan Jenkins, is working on her MBA, so we've pulled back on some of the events for this year, but looking to do some of our usual ones in the Fall.

Speaking of Fall, it's time to gear up for a new school year. Would somebody tell Texas weather that it's time to cool off?? Maybe send some rain?

This month's post is short, I know, and I apologize for that, but with all the craziness in my house, this is the best I can do at the moment! Hopefully things will calm down.

Have A Fabulously Fun Friday and a Amazing August!

A Little Late With July...

 Happy Friday Everyone!

I'm a little late getting the July post up, but perhaps you can forgive me since I was sick the first week of July. I'm much better, now. I don't recommend being sick, it's really a 1-star or no-star review from me, but it did give me a lot of time to pray, and working on my faith is never a wasted opportunity (when I take the opportunity) so there's that. I couldn't really even read much while I was sick because the screen made me dizzy and I didn't even bother trying with printed books, either. Mostly I either watched videos/movies, or slept. The sleeping was probably a good idea. Now, I've got a plan to work on getting myself stronger and keeping up with my vitamins. Thankfully, I've got a great doctor, so I had good help.

Getting well meant I was able to get back to writing again, which has been nice. I don't know what will come of the novel I'm working on. Per usual, I'm going to keep details under wraps (aside from a very few people who know what I'm working on). It's just easier to work on a manuscript without anyone's expectations except my own (and God's, of course, but that's a given for me). It's funny to be working on something and suddenly see how late the time is and scramble to get ready for bed. I haven't done that in a while, so it's bringing back some memories. Good memories, though.

I'm still querying. I prefer not to go into detail there since it's an extremely personal process for me. It's also a long process and I don't know what the outcome will be.

Other than that, still working with The Author Encounter, still being wife and mom, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin, friend--all the usual stuff. I'm hoping Texas gets some rain SOON (not flooding or damages, but enough rain that the temperatures are cooler and the grass, crops, plants, trees, etc. are okay--it would be nice for my husband if he didn't have to water very often). We're spending as much time inside as possible. It's just too hot to be out-of-doors for long.

Wishing heat relief if it's hot where you are and a great rest of your July!

Have A Fabulously Fun Friday!

June Has Arrived...

 Happy June Everyone!

I hope your May went well. My husband had to take 4 trips up to Springdale, Arkansas to clean out and sell his father's house, so that was a lot. He's fine now and the papers to sell the house have been signed, so that's good.

I've recently pulled up an unfinished manuscript of mine and have been reading through the 80 or 82 pages of what I had already written. I've edited what I've read so far for a preliminary edit, and think there might be something here. We'll see.

There are some new releases that have piqued my interest. I don't normally pick up mid-grade novels (although, I have read several over the course of my life) but my author friend, Tom Phillips has his debut coming out on June 7th, so I've been watching the countdown with great interest. Another author friend of mine, Cheyanne Young has a new contemporary YA, releasing, too. Plus, there always seems to be more novels releasing, too. I'm sometimes slow to get to a novel, not because I was avoiding it, but sometimes life happens.

I did read Once Upon A K-Prom by Kat Cho and enjoyed it. It was fun. It definitely reads like a K-Drama and I could picture it as one.

My parents' anniversary is in June. Over 50 years and counting for them! Also, one of my brothers, and one of my BFFs all have June anniversaries. I also have family members with birthdays in June, and a BFF with a birthday in June. So June is busy!

The Author Encounter is working on some ideas for June, July, and beyond. You'll have to check out the website. There are also replays of videos available on the Facebook page, and some replays on the YouTube Page.

Anyway, here's wishing you all a great June! Hope it's a wonderful start to the summer! If I have more news, I'll post it, otherwise, watch for my monthly posts. :-)

Have A Wonderfully Whimsical Wednesday!

May Has Arrived...

 Happy Monday and Happy May!

April was full of many things...including going up to Springdale, Arkansas to lay my father-in-law to rest. I didn't know him very well, but being up there with my husband and kids, I got to learn a little more about him. I knew he'd loved his wife to the very end of her life, but what I didn't know was how much. Several pictures had the caption "My beautiful wife..." and then a description of the picture. In the living room and his room, the walls were full of pictures of her and of their wedding. He had several of them framed. In all of them he looked happy (she looked happy, too, just in case y'all wondered). So I got to see more of his devotion to her. My mother-in-law died some years ago from Alzheimer's. By the time I met my husband and we were getting married, she was already pretty far along (although we did talk a tiny bit about her rose garden--which the flowers in their yard were lovely). They're now buried together in a cemetery in Springdale, Arkansas, according to my father-in-law's last wishes. My husband was AMAZING. He did the majority of all the cleaning in the house, and moved a ton of furniture. Some he gave away, some he sold. The house is just about sold (people up there move fast!) I barely saw him because he was so busy. But we did manage to get over to Eureka Springs and to Two Dumb Dames. I've been to Two Dumb Dames twice and ordered from there about 3 times. The fudge is the best fudge ever (in my and my husband's opinions). And yes, they do ship. I had some delivered to my parents' house last year, as well as to one of my best friend's. Everybody I've had try it has been totally amazed by how good it is. The company was started in 1979, and now the daughters/sons run it (so it's still in the family). It's a funky little shop with chocolates, fudge, truffles, candy, and t-shirts. I love it.

My anniversary is this month, which is something I'm happy about. Another year with my Real Life Hero, another year full of good and bad, ups and downs. Living out our marriage vows, being each other's best friends, being parents, family, friends to others. It's not always easy, but it isn't something I'd trade in. He's a man who truly gets me and I consider that a gift from God. So I'm grateful for him.

Mother's Day is right around the corner, and I want to wish every mother out there a very Happy Mother's Day! I love my children even when it's tough (and sometimes especially when it's tough). Nobody is perfect, but they are incredibly special to me.

As to writing, I'm continuing on. I've been querying a manuscript, and I've got several other ideas. I've no idea what will happen or where everything will lead. God has always been in charge of things in my life, and so I entrust this to Him, while trying to do what I can. I'm hoping more of my books will be available on audiobooks--my narrator and I are often in touch (he's worked on some things for The Author Encounter with me and my business partner, Nan), so we'll see.

I've made some new author friends this year, and I'm grateful for them being in my life as well, and for you, my darling readers!

I wish each and every one of you a marvelous May! I hope it's a good month for you all.

Have A Magically Merry Monday!

April Has Arrived...

 Happy Friday!

It's April, if you can believe...or even if you can't believe it. Sometimes to me it seems like the year goes slowly and other times it seems fast.

Real life has been taking up some of my attention lately, so I forgot to get a post ready ahead of time. Now we're approaching Easter (well, at least it's a little over a week away, but still it's almost here).

I've got a story out on query with agents and we'll see how that goes. I participated in the recent Mood Pitch on Twitter and that was an interesting experience. As part of the pitches, participants could share Mood Boards (for those who don't know what a Mood Board is, they're images/words that express either the mood or something about a story--or whatever the person who creates the Mood Board wants to express). It was kind of cool to see pictures with pitches.

The Author Encounter keeps moving along. We're having a quieter year due to real life (not bad, just busy). But we're working on some ideas.

There are some personal things going on in my life that I don't want to post here, but I'm pretty active on Twitter, so feel free to follow me there. If something newsworthy happens, I'll share it here, too. :-)

I wish you and yours a wonderful April and a very Happy Easter!

Have A Fantastically Fabulous Friday!

In Comes March...

 Happy Monday Everyone!

It's MARCH! Can you believe February is already over?

I meant to make this blog post earlier than now, but I was busy with editing, and life, so I had to put the post on hold. Editing is currently done, so I've got some time to post.

So let's see...

Lent has begun, which was punctuated for me by Ash Wednesday. I like to go to church to receive ashes. It was nice. I had my offspring with me--which meant a bit of adventure, but we managed okay.

The Author Encounter is gearing up for its 2nd Annual Authors March Forward events. A little smaller than last year, but still exciting. Watch TAE website and social media for more information. (I'm looking forward to it, as I do all our events because they're informative and fun).

I'm not excited about the clocks moving forward on Sunday, March 13th. Losing an hour of sleep, not fun. I'm sure I'll adjust, though.

Hopefully I'll have some exciting news in April regarding something that has nothing to do with what I was editing or anything I'm querying. For now, I'll just leave this vague statement here and let you, darling readers wonder. (Sorry, sometimes it's fun to keep y'all in anticipation).

February was a rough month because a family member had some health things pop up--thanking the Lord that the family member is okay. I was stressed for a few days and then came my deceased friend's death anniversary (she passed on 9 years ago). I'm hoping March will be better. There is likely to be some nerves about these projects (I hope things go well and all that) Regardless of nerves, I'm looking forward to it all.

There are a lot of things going on in the world right now, and I'm praying about them. I don't want to discuss these things on my blog, but they are in my prayers.

Take care, darling readers. I wish you a good March. Happy St. Patrick's Day, too!

Have A Marvelously Merry Monday!

February Brings A Chill And Romance Fills The Air...

 Happy Friday Everyone!

It's February of 2022! February. Let that sink in a moment. February makes me a bit nervous this year. Last year, on February 15th, we lost power and water, got displaced for about 4.5 months (due to water pipe bursting and needing to fix parts of the house). With the talks of winter storms and things, I'm doing a lot of praying for this year not to have another Snowmeggeddon. (Yes, I'm praying for those who DEFINITELY will be dealing with bad parts of the storm, but I'm also praying that we don't have to go through what we did last year).

In between all this, I'm editing. My freelance editor, the incredibly helpful Deb Ewing finished all passes on my manuscript and now it's down to me doing the final read-through and little nit-picky things. Deb warned me not to get so hung up that I lose the way my story works, which is a fair point. As a writer, you don't want to poke and prod your work into a oblivion and lose the voice that works for it. However, I know that this pass is very necessary (including something that Deb made a note of that I've been watching out for). (By the way, Deb is an AWESOME editor and I highly recommend her. If she has time to work with you on your manuscript, go for it. She gave me great notes).

I've also set up a "10-minute with an Expert" meeting through The Manuscript Academy. I joined under the Gold Membership to take full advantage of what they offer. So far, I'd say if their faculty and workshop offerings look like something up your alley having at least a month or more of a subscription (either Basic or Gold are the choices) with them could benefit a writer. It really depends on where you are with your career, what you're looking for, and what you need assistance on in your own craft. I've attended other of their events before I chose to get a subscription, so having a membership wasn't my first introduction to the company. And, I have to say so far the "10 Minute Meeting With An Expert" seems like a helpful item (they have other meeting options, but I chose this particular one for several reasons--one of them being I wanted to work on my query letter a bit more--I've had at least 3-4 sets of eyes on it including my own, but the chance to have an actual agent look at it is an opportunity that's hard to pass up. (And probably shouldn't be passed up, either, if you find someone on their list that reps what you write).

The Author Encounter continues forward. This year, we plan to have our "mainstay" events (Authors March Forward in March, Traditional Publishing Day in September, Indie Author Day in November). Other things are being worked out. For February's Behind The Page, we're going to have author Robin Covington as a guest.

February is a fantastic month for us romance/romantic writers since it's filled with romance and Valentine's Day prep. Fun fact: there actually existed a real guy named Valentine who was a bishop. I've also read that there is, in fact, more than one St. Valentine. The one I've read about attributed to February 14th  and that he left a note for someone and signed it "Your Valentine". In any case, February 14th has lots of stories attributed to it and if you celebrate the day, I wish you a good one.

Also, yesterday, February 3 marked 63 years since "The day the music died" when Buddy Holly, J.P. Richardson "The Big Bopper", Richie Valens, and their pilot, Roger Peterson, died in the famous plane crash (I apologize, I meant to put plane crash and originally had "car crash" that was a typo. And apparently the plane is unnamed, not named "American Pie"). Years later, Don McLean released the song "American Pie" in tribute. Don was a Buddy Holly fan, and so am I. He was very talented, and apparently well-liked by those who knew him. May their souls rest peacefully in Heaven and their music live on.

Lately I seem to be posting once a month, so unless I get some news or have something interesting to post, I'll keep my posting frequency at once a month.

Hope you have a wonderful February and a Fabulously Fun Friday!

2022, A New Year...

 Happy January and Happy New Year 2022 one and all!

There have been many times that I've said this, and I expect many times to say it again: my observation is that every year brings both good and bad. Some years there's more good, some more bad, some in the middle. I don't know what 2022 will be, but I continue to look for blessings.

One of the blessings of 2021, was in spite of Snowmeggeddon (or, rather, because of it) back in February, I got a new kitchen. Now, a storm with broken pipes is not the way I'd PREFER to have gotten this kitchen, but I love it. So, even though the storm sucked and being out of my house for 4 1/2 months wasn't always easy, I got this brand new kitchen that is so much more me and my family than what we moved into when we first got the house.

In August, I got a non-displaced fracture in my shoulder. Yeah, I hadn't known silly detergent had spilled and I wasn't looking to perfect my detergent-skating abilities (or, in this case, inability) but despite it, it meant I got to see my husband's job in action. The ortho doctors allowed him to work with me on my PT, and I've had the chance to experience his expertise and gentleness. He also paid me a compliment, saying "Thank you for not fighting me. Some of my patients do." I had reasoned in my mind the way I do a lot of things that it made no sense for me to fight him since the way to get better was to allow him to do what the doctors told him to do. Yes, it's been a painful process (I won't lie) but I'm improving and learning. Plus, I spend extra time with my husband.

My point in sharing these things is that so many people take the bad and just focus on the bad and never look for any good. Yes, there has been a lot of suffering and that sucks bananas and I'm definitely NOT trying to downplay any of that. I lost people close to me. I mourned. I looked at the junk in the world and cried. But I also turned to my faith and found solace. I learned about joy. I learned that it's okay for joy and sorrow to exist simultaneously. Sometimes they do. I learned a deeper appreciation for the blessings and good in the world (especially good people).

I've had the chance to work with an extremely talented freelance editor (named Deb Ewing) who has helped my manuscript get polished and better than it was before. I've added stuff I hadn't thought to add, which will enhance the reading experience for my audience. Through The Author Encounter, I've met some really nice agents and other people who have answered some questions I've had regarding the industry.

Sure, I've still got learning disabilities--those will never go away, but that's okay. I've lived with them this long, I can continue living with them and learning in spite of them (and sometimes because of them).

Yes, Covid-19 still exists and that's not cool, but my family continues to do Sunday Family Zoom sessions and I've gotten to talk to my family more than I ever had done in a year (or even 2 years) so for me, that's a blessing in a yucky situation. We've continued this practice of having Family Zoom sessions every Sunday afternoon (so far only missing one or two Sundays). It's been wonderful!

My wish for all of you this year and every year is to find that place of solace and to recognize the blessings that exist. Even when it's hard, or seems impossible, this is my wish for you. Find those who can make you believe in hope and cherish them. Even if they pass on, you can have the comfort of having known them and what you learned from them.

God bless and Happy New Year 2022 to you and yours.

Have A Wonderfully Whimsical Wednesday!