December is a special month for me as it is my author
anniversary month. My first book released December 15th, 2006.
That’s right! I have been a published author for eight years now. I can’t
believe it’s been that long, but all I have to do is look at my children to
know it’s true. Wow what a difference eight years makes.
In 2006, I began writing seriously. I’d been a writer since
my middle school years, but this is when I began to write daily. I wasn’t sure
if it was for publication but I was inspired and in a place where I needed to
write. We had just moved to North Carolina away from everyone I knew (other
than my family) and I was home full-time with my boys (7 & 1 years old at
the time) and I was also homeschooling the oldest (a change from teaching
middle school). Writing became a catharsis for me.
Then I met a friend online, and she introduced me to her Christian small press publisher. I checked them
out and noticed they were in need of some Christmas novellas. Now I had been
working furiously on a massive YA WWII novel (a novel which has still not made its way to an editor’s desk and probably never will). So on that day I decided to write a sweet
Christmas novella. I wrote the 25,000-word story in about six days. After a bit
of editing, I sent it on to the publisher. Within a month, I had my very first
contract. Boy was I excited! And that’s what started this whole publishing
venture that I have now been enjoying for eight years. It has been quite a ride
and I still feel as if I were just beginning.
That first book was called The Spirit of Christmas. My rights on the book
reverted back to me in 2008. In 2009, I rewrote it, added 10,000 words and sold
it to another publisher. This time I called it All I Want for Christmas. The rights reverted back to me again in
2012. I plan to do another rewrite on it and release it myself at some point.
I’ve even written a free prequel to go with it. Don’t be surprised if you hear
about a Christmas book coming out in the coming year.
Happy New Year Readers!
Cindy
My heart is stirred by a noble theme as I
recite my verses for the king; my tongue is the pen of a skillful writer. Psalm
45:1
