Reflections in gratitude for this amazing year.

My first full year of semi-retirement, and so many people to thank for the successes of this first year.

It all started with attending the 20BooksVegas conference in November. That’s not really accurate; we can call 20BooksVegas the catalyst. The energy of 20BooksVegas and the generosity of this new network of amazing writers/people were enough to push me over the edge. I hit publish, not once, but twice in 2023, publishing novels in June and September through my imprint 2FBooks.  

So, to Craig Martelle and the 20Books community, thank you for the nudge over the top. Two books this year and a goal of three in 2024.

Next on the list of folks, my thanks, are the folks of the SBWC writing community, especially the subset that is our Fu***** Outstanding Writing Group.  Mac, Maryanne, Nick, Angela, & Stephen (RIP). Without your feedback, encouragement, and occasional kick in the tuchus, the aforementioned success couldn’t have happened.

To the online writing communities of the Dead Robots Society & Blasters and Blades. Thank you for the shoutouts and guest slots on your podcasts. No less than five times since I first hit publish in June, I have been invited to come on one of their episodes and talk about process, story, craft, and occasional tom-foolery.

The most recent of these sessions dropped just last week, when JR Handley played host on Blasters and Blades, including me, with the company of J. Daniel Sawyer, Rob Howell, and Joe Vasicek in a panel discussion on Creating Realistic Geopolitical Organizations in Fictional Worlds. You can check the links above for the other conversations I was a part of.

And, of course, Marla Miller, because a portion of this is still her fault.

To the love of my life, La, our four amazing boys, three added daughters, and ‘the mom. Your support and encouragement were essential to getting me to this point and continuing on this journey.

And finally, to you, my new and growing readership. I thank you for your support, for buying my stories, for leaving reviews, and for joining me on this journey.

From my family to yours on this upcoming day of thanks, we wish you much happiness.