In true Beach Read Author
form, I visited the beach recently to wiggle my toes in the sand and
soak in the sun. Being from Seattle
means you really have to store up that Vitamin D when you can! I had a wonderful trip to Florida, where I
also happened to be attending a writers’ conference.
At the conference we learned
a ton about the state of the industry, all the platforms—execs from Amazon, Kobo
and Apple were on hand—and shared information with fellow authors. Publishing has changed so much in the past
five years!
Which brings me to the theme
of today’s post: Gratitude. With Thanksgiving right around the corner,
what a perfect time to reflect on what I’m thankful for, starting with
publishing books! I feel very fortunate
that authors have more control over offering great stories to
readers. This new wave of indie
publishing has inspired me to release my beloved YA thrillers on the various
platforms.
Next month my new YA, ESCAPE,
will be released in digital format.
Although it features a teen protagonist, I think adults would enjoy the
thrill ride as well. Here’s the blurb:
After
her parents are killed in a suspicious house explosion, Jade Masterson is
hunted by the sinister Prism Foundation for her telekinetic powers.
Orphaned, then betrayed by her own family and closest friend, Jade turns to the
mysterious new boy at school for help. She never expects to fall for
Jonathan, an enigma with secrets of his own… secrets that make him the worst
kind of enemy--one that earns her trust only to destroy her by breaking her
heart.
I’m
excited because the screenplay version of this story won the Page International
Screenwriting Competition.
Back
to my gratitude list… Obviously I’m grateful
that I was able to soak in the sunshine in Florida and that the sunshine
followed me home to Seattle. I’m also
grateful that my kids are doing well (when your kids are okay, everything’s
okay, right?), and that my puppy makes me laugh every single day. Her name is Fiona and, well, she’s actually
two, but still acts like a puppy.
I tend to believe that what you focus on gets bigger. So if you focus on gratitude, the whole world
looks a little brighter. Before we slink
into the grey days of winter, why not make a gratitude list so you can refer
back to it when things don’t look so bright?
Off
to finish my gratitude list, and work on the sequel to ESCAPE.
Have
a wonderful Thanksgiving!
www.patwhitewriter.com
Gratitude is a tough one sometimes because you have to stop and consciously be grateful when things are busy. But it's worth it. Great post, Pat. Maybe you could summarize what you learned in Florida for another post. Even in bullet form. Pretty please! If you do, I'll write what I learned at the ECWC in October in point form.
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