On December 5, I celebrated an anniversary of sorts: the one year anniversary of the release of my debut novel, Beauty Rising. It also marks the one year point of jumping into my second career as an indie author. It’s been an incredibly fun and rewarding year. I’ve learned a lot of lessons, spent a lot of money, made less than what I spent, made a lot of new friends, and have been blessed with many kind and encouraging comments.

I’ve also had a few not-so good reviews. An author also needs some of those – means I’m getting my writing wings. But luckily, the vast majority of reviews and comments have been extremely positive. I’m grateful, truly.

I’ve learned a lot about promotion. Mostly I learned that an indie author can never stop or give up. The moment I stop promoting is the moment I lose momentum.

I also learned that I don’t need to sell huge quantities of books in my first year. It’s not about the money. It’s about building for the future. I still have a job.

But would it be nice to, one day, be able to write for a living? Absolutely. The only way to do that is to keep writing quality books and keep promoting them in every possible way available to me. I have to build my writing platform and my brand name. As uncomfortable as that sounds, it’s the only way to keep moving forward. Facebook. Blog. Twitter (which I still can’t stand). Day by day. Step by step.

2013 saw the promotion of Beauty Rising and the release of The Recluse Storyteller.

2014 will oversee the continued promotion of The Recluse Storyteller and the release of novel 3, The Reach of the Banyan Tree.  I can’t wait for this novel to come out!

It’s been a good, growing year for me as a writer and author. I thank everyone who has supported me during this past year. Let’s hope for better days to come!