Things I’m Thankful For:
First on my list every year and always is BW. For a million reasons. Years ago I shared a happy memory from my childhood – every Thanksgiving my Dad would get up early to make pumpkin pies and would bake the extra filling in a ramekin for me to have for breakfast. Now, every year, BW does the same for me as an adult.
Second on my list is Linda Russell and Foreword PR. I released three books this year. The smartest thing I did beginning with the first book was to partner with Foreword. I say partner because that’s how it feels. (Cheesy, I know.) I interviewed a lot of PR firms before choosing them. They weren’t the firm BW wanted me to pick and they didn’t even offer the largest number of services for the price. But I knew after our first conversation that Linda was on my side 100%.
Maybe she wasn’t going to take the largest number of items off my plate, but if I ever needed her to, she’d bust over backwards to hold that whole fucking plate for me. Knowing that someone ‘has your back’ is invaluable. It doesn’t matter how many questions I have, the number of fuck-ups I make, or when I message her in the middle of the night because I forgot the fucking time difference, she’s nice and accommodating, she has an answer for me and she solves my problem. Every freakin’ time.
Third up are my dogs. Like every good fur-baby mama, they are my life. I can’t even imagine not having them around. Don’t get me wrong, they are total pains in my ass. They destroy stuff, track mud in the house, deposit fur everywhere, they are noisy at inappropriate times, they hog more than their fair share of the bed, they are total cock-blocks, one of them counter surfs like a ninja, demanding attention and food and toys, completely spoiled, they gang up on one another, they gang up on me, they don’t understand the bathroom should be my private time, they drink my coffee if I leave it unattended for thirty seconds, my house never stays clean for more than two minutes, they slobber on stuff, they lick me, one of them smells bad, at least one has gas all the time, each have some sort of medical or emotional special need, five out of six are on meds, they are expensive, AND they bring an indescribable joy to my soul that I can’t get anywhere else. There are six of them. Yes, six. Five huskies and one corgi-chow-cattle dog. And I wouldn’t change a thing.
Fourth is my home and my writing space. When we bought this house in WA, we didn’t think too much
about how our day to day lives would fit in with it. The market was crazy hot, we needed to make a purchase contingent upon our San Diego home selling which put us at the bottom of the preferred buyer list. This was the eighth house we’d made an offer on. As it ends up, the floor plan is not ideal. My writing space is in it’s own room that was previously designated as the formal
dining room. Which ultimately means we have no dining room. As such, no dining table. There is a dining area between the kitchen and living room, but after leaving it open for so long while we searched for the right table, we decided we liked it open. So now we eat at the coffee table. Not necessarily conducive for guests, but perfect when it’s the two of us. There are five bedrooms upstairs, I could have had a space in any one of the spares. But I wanted to be downstairs, and BW agreed. Plus, my pond is right outside so I can hear the waterfall when the door is open.
Fifth is my my niece, T, and nephew, C, for always randomly picking the winners in my author takeovers so I don’t have to take on that responsibility or resulting guilt.
T for calling me – because it makes my day/week/life every single time.
C for writing – he’s already got more talent at 11 years old than I could ever hope to. He makes me so proud. All the time.
(Pretty soon my other two nephews, Phillip & Harrison, and my niece, Ozeki, will all be of age where I can make them do stuff for me that I don’t want to, then wax rhapsodic about it on social media. Until then. . . )
Sixth is my people. I’ve had a ton cycle through my life. Some I miss, some not so much. But I can say I feel damn lucky to have those I do. I’ve got my writing people, my family people, my work people, my friend people, my virtual friend people. I gots people. And having people is a great feeling.
Remi – for talking me down off every ledge I climb on. Tracy – for keeping our family together and being a constant in my life. Amanda – cause you’re the best fucking sister anyone could hope to have. Rachel – for reading over two hundred drafts and rewrites and final chapters over the last two years and still helping every single time. You, ladies, are the absolute best.