Day 116 of Gratitude – This Moment of This Day

It’s been a sobering couple of days. My husband visited a friend who is dying of cancer and, with the warm, sunny weather, I ran into one of our neighbors, only to hear that his wife has been hospitalized for the last month with unexpected liver failure. Neither of these people are particularly old, nor is there anything about them that would lead anyone to say they “had it coming,” as if that is ever true.

The fact is that life is filled with pleasures and tragedies cast about at random or skillfully set in some ultimate clockwork that we can neither perceive nor understand. All I can be sure of is that I am alive this moment of this day and should allow myself to feel it fully – neither dulling the joy with fears about tomorrow nor tempering the pain platitudes of a bright future. Emotions are the stuff of life and I am grateful for the reminder, even if it was delivered in a way I didn’t want.

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Day 115 of Gratitude – Spring Flowers

It’s a little cliche to say I’m grateful for spring flowers, but in Ohio there is always one day when suddenly, seeming out of nowhere, EVERYTHING blooms. The Bradford pear and crab apple trees along the streets, the daffodils, hyacinths and tulips in the beds, and even the wild violets and the dandelions in the grass. Spring burst forth in a dramatic display.

That day was today – a gorgeous, seventy-degree, bright, sunny day. It was spectacular and I can’t help but be grateful for the opportunity to see it.

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Day 114 of Gratitude – Early to Bed

It’s been an exhausting week. This week, the  nonprofit of which I’m board chair adopted a new strategic plan, hired a new executive director and nearly worked out a new budget. This week I had a meeting for another organization in which we hammered out the schedule and details coming up on a major event. This week, Foreseen went to and remained near the top of Amazon’s bestsellers list for New Adult Fantasy, meaning I needed to get the word out. All in addition to my normal weekly schedule. All of it was good. All of it went well.

Tonight, I am headed to bed early. I am going to curl up in bed and sleep until whenever I wake up in the morning. And that is truly something for which to be grateful!

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Day 112 of Gratitude – Better Late than Never

I forgot to post a Gratitude yesterday. I was very busy all day and then spent the evening relaxing with new friends. In the past, I would feel guilty about having not posted. I’d chastise myself for failing to perform on a promise, even if it was one I’d made only to myself. But that would defeat the purpose of this blog – to focus on the positive aspects of life, whether big or small.

And so, it’s okay that I didn’t post. I was grateful for lots yesterday, and the fact that I didn’t write about any of it doesn’t change that fact. And it’s okay to blow it sometimes. Maybe I’ll post twice today, or maybe I won’t. We’ll just have to wait and see what life brings to me today!

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Day 111 of Gratitude – “People will come, Ray,”

“People will come, Ray. They’ll come to Iowa for reasons they can’t even fathom. They’ll turn up your driveway not knowing for sure why they’re doing it. They’ll arrive at your door as innocent as children, longing for the past. ‘Of course, we won’t mind if you look around,’ you’ll say… They’ll pass over the money without even thinking about it: for it is money they have and peace they lack.” ~Field of Dreams

It’s been a heady few days: over twenty-thousand copies of Foreseen given away, followed by escalating sales for both Foreseen and Choices. It is hard not to get wrapped up in it and check each hour to see how many more have been purchased. But the words from Field of Dreams, spoken by the indomitable James Earl Jones, keep coming back to me.

The lines are spoken as Ray Kinsella faces financial ruin for having pursued his calling – building a baseball field where his crops should be growing.  You could say this is a promise of riches for listening to the mysterious voice, but for me, it is a reminder to stick with my faith and passion, regardless of money.

I could write quick and easy novels with the aim of making fast money, but it would leave me in one of the cars lining up for the mere chance to see Ray Kinsella’s ball field. I would have money and lack peace.

So I will stop obsessing over sales now, and get back to writing the type of quality novels I’m drawn to. I can’t imagine I will never be wealthy, but I will get by. And I will have a peace that money can’t buy. And for that, I am grateful.

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Day 110 of Gratitude – Overwhelming Gratitude

I entered into this past week’s promotion of Foreseen with trepidation and tempered expectations. I hoped a thousand or two potential readers would grab a copy to take a look at. I’d heard stories of 8000 downloads during such promotions, but discounted them as the blogosphere’s equivalent of big fish boasts. “Distribute a couple thousand copies,” I thought to myself. “That would be a success. Maybe three thousand if it reaches the right group of readers.”

Over 20,000 copies of Foreseen were downloaded last week. One new review has already been posted on Amazon from one of those readers and several others have contacted me directly to let me know they’re enjoying it.

I wish I could let each person who downloaded Foreseen and every person who spread the word about it how  grateful I am and how much their kindness and support means to me.  But there isn’t a way to do it, so I will remain pleasantly overwhelmed with gratitude.

 

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Day 109 of Gratitude – A Peaceful Evening

It was a wonderful weekend. It was nice to get together with my dad. Mark and I cleaned up the yard which was a great sense of accomplishment. I loved having Andrew home for Easter and we had a great time baking various things, eating too much, playing video games, and cheering on the rising stats on the book download promotion.

Tomorrow I need to get back to work – I’ve got busy a week coming up with both my writing and my volunteer duties.  So I am grateful for the peace and quiet of a Sunday evening. I’m recharging to be ready for the new week.

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Day 108 of Gratitude – Where to Begin?

I have so many things to be grateful for today. My son is home for the weekend. My dad is coming over for dinner tonight. It is bright and sunny and warm out. My husband and I spent the morning cleaning up the yard for spring. My dog is curled up beside me. And my novel, Foreseen, is being downloaded faster than a hummingbird’s wings.

So today, I am grateful for having so many things to be grateful for. Now, off the computer to enjoy the rest of the day!

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Day 107 of Gratitude – Pressure

I relaxed a bit today and finished reading a book. It was a good break but, when the last digital page was turned, I began making a mental list of all the tasks I needed to accomplish. I have a novel to edit. In the series I’m writing, I need to come up with a public setting in Boston and a plausible reason for the characters to be there. I need to work on the frame I’ve written for the other novel I’m working on. I need to find whatever seems to have died in my basement and is leaving a smell. I need to dust everything in the house. I need to clean the bathrooms. I need to move the patio furniture out from the basement. I need to prepare for a board meeting coming up this week, and read the materials for the volunteer meeting for another organization. I have boxes that need to be mailed and checks that need to be written… the list goes on and on.

It’s a bit hectic but that’s a good thing. I perform faster and better under pressure. Without it, I accomplish nothing.  So, I am thankful for the pressure of having too much to do – it’s the only way I’ll get anything done right!

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Day 106 of Gratitude – We’re #2!!!

One day into the promotional giveaway of the digital version of Foreseen, it’s ranked #2 in the New Adult/College category and #3 in Science Fiction on Amazon. You don’t hear a lot of celebrating over coming in second or third, but in this case, it isn’t a competition. Rather, the goal is to get Foreseen into the hands of readers who will enjoy it and raise its profile in the process. # 2 and #3 in two prominent categories: I’d say and that goal is being reached.

My fingers are crossed that the readers find it appealing and continue to download it over the next few days. I’d love to see it get into the top 100 free books on Amazon – a category that Amazon pushes so that it will reach another audience of potential readers to download it free. But in the meantime, I’m very thankful for the success so far.

 

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