I’ve had a lot to be thankful for in this past year, and a lot more I am grateful for in the year to come. Some of that has been expected – the realization of a long-held dream, the papery reality of ARCs, the positive reactions from early readers, the joy of my toddler, and the love of my family and friends – but some has been completely unexpected. The community of debut authors I’ve stumbled into has been full of some much-needed love and support during a surprisingly chaotic and uncertain time. Now more than ever I’m grateful for the myriad and wonderful people in my life.
Looking forward – and looking back – here are a few of the people I’m grateful for:
I am so, so grateful for my fellow 2019 debut authors, who have held my hand through countless panics, have cheered my sometimes weird joys, and who’ve helped me find a new normal. You guys are the colleagues I never knew I was missing, my peer group, my nerds, my fam.
I am grateful for the Sirens family, a welcoming collection of readers who made me feel like I belonged the moment I stepped in the door.
I am grateful for my Crossfit buds, who don’t bat an eye when I need to go light and who crack the same jokes every 5am and it’s still funny dammit because everything’s funny before coffee.
I am grateful for #5amwritersclub, sharing jokes and motivation and copious amounts of coffee at the holiest time of day, reminding me to check in and then get those words written already.
I am grateful for the author and writing community on Twitter, for those who have reached out to me about their own fears and anxieties and darknesses and helped me remember that we’re all freaking terrified, we’re just really practiced at hiding it.
I am grateful for the previous Debs at the Debutante Ball, for sharing their journey so publicly and giving us an ounce of an idea of what to expect.
I am grateful for my fellow ’19 Debs, for your wisdom (so much!) and humor and brilliant, brilliant words.
I am grateful for my Camp NaNoWriMo tribe, who know that you can’t spell “team” without “meat.”
I am grateful for my daughter, the Toddler who fills her every waking moment with joy and reminds me to appreciate even the littlest things in life.
And last, but definitely not least, I am grateful for my wife, who has been my rock in all this, who has never doubted me, who has never mocked the things I’ve chosen to celebrate (like getting a 3-star review! hey, it’s important!), and who knows more science than I can shake a stick at and who will always be my first reader.
