Eight Years an Author!

 

December is a special month for me as it is my author anniversary month. My first book released December 15^th, 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