Hey there and hello,

I am fresh off a great lecture from Brad Parks himself. He came to visit our writing group yesterday to tell us about his writing journey and give us some publishing tips. He was not only entertaining, but he also gave us great ideas on how to move forward with our own writing journey. Several members remarked after he finished that they wanted to hurry home just so they could start writing. It was a truly inspiring talk.

Many times, we writers get down in the dumps because we are stuck or get too many rejections. Brad told us about 3, yes 3, manuscripts he had to just trash. I know it wasn't good for him, but it helped me to know that we are not alone in our struggle, and it is normal to have some down time.

In the end, when you hold the book in your hands, it IS all worth it. I remember the day I got the copy of my first published short story in Nightmares & Echoes I. I was on Cloud 9. I remember driving all the way to Richmond just so I could show it to my son, Timothy. He was quite excited for me. You must celebrate the wins so the losses don't overcome the road you want to travel down. Hence, you may be tempted to make a U-Turn and might never know the riches you may have found.

Keep moving forward always!

Until next time,

Susan

Happy New Year!

I hope it is a wonderful and fulfilling year for everyone. I am excited that my Haunted Charlottesville book is coming out in May of this year. It took me some time and effort to write and gather all the information and facts, but it was well worth it.

Once you see the finished book, I hope you will think so too. It was a fun project, and I enjoyed traveling around to the different locations.

Also in the works, two novels and some short stories this year. I am working on some at present and will keep you posted on their availability.  Hopefully, it won't be a long wait.