Book Release: Rebranded by Faith

Click to preview http://a.co/dTNcMbF

This isn’t a happy or sad book. It’s not for everybody. It’s a mini biopic non-fiction journey of my faith, of battling all kinds of demons. Read it if you are a Christian seeking meaning. Read it if you want to understand my craziness. But most of all, read it if you crave lasting peace from Jesus and want to return or improve your life with Him. 

Peace and Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and Happy New Year!

My Year in Review

A Detour from the To-Do List

This has been a trying year, to say the least. If you're wondering what happened to my blogs or books, I had to put my projects on hold while we dealt with a few family crises that eventually balanced out to manageable levels. My schedule was not the only one derailed, however. Even the next few blog interviews I had planned out hit a wall when a mutual contact of ours unexpectedly passed away, and my other interviewee had caregiver responsibilities as well as a mountain of tasks pertaining to her small business. But that's ok because even all the set-backs have led to more content to incorporate into my writing.

Back to the Basics

This entire year in particular has also made me most nostalgic, bringing out all kinds of good (and bad) memories that needed some TLC. It has been unpleasant at times, making it difficult to function, let alone be creative. But no opportunity has been wasted, and for that I'm truly grateful, since there are only a handful of weeks left until the new decade begins!

One huge lesson I learned about all we endured was to have a healthy way to process my emotions without getting cluttered by too many obligations. When I have too much to do, I can barely muster up enough energy to do everything, and I can so easily end up doing nothing at all. It's forced me to pay attention to how I feel so I know when to back off and focus on fewer things with greater intensity. It's not easy to do because of the extent of my responsibilities as a wife, mom, and daughter, but it's essential to keep at for as long as I'm healthy enough.

My 52 weeks list of goals I usually set has always been successful in helping me manage overall priorities, but this year it was very challenging to find the motivation to do them. Recently, when I took a look at what I wrote for the year, I can see why the list made me feel more stuck: it wasn't simple enough! I had some lofty goals (as per usual, because I do like challenges) but not enough of every day, accomplishable things that held some sort of means to an end. Usually, I had a theme for the year, but this year was all out of whack. So this week, I did something I hadn't done before, I started redefining my goals. Maybe it's silly because there aren't that many weeks left to accomplish them, but I'm doing it anyway to see how much I do with the time I have remaining. It's more about short-term intentionality that leads to longer-lasting results. And who knows, maybe it will also help me keep going so I can finally finish my next two books!!!!

Emotions Have Their Place

Having emotional support is vital to body functions, and I often let my mental health slide due to a whole host of situations I can't necessarily control. I'm not ashamed to say that this year has brought me to my knees in prayer in new ways, making counseling sessions a must. Some people may be skeptical about talking to a therapist, but not me. I love my family and friends dearly, but sometimes they are not who I need to talk to in expressing how I feel. There is something so freeing in having an impartial third-party to talk to, who, in hearing me out, ends up validating what and why I'm feeling what I'm feeling, and who can offer useful steps to take so my emotions don't control me. Not that I can't talk to the Lord, because I do that too, but having a human connection ties it all together and encourages me to walk through the trials in faith. Emotions are important indicators of sometimes deeper issues that need addressing. As certain truths unfold, it's a renewal process, over and over. As I clear my mind, I can look forward to what is in front of me, not off to the side or several paces ahead. And it feels great! Here's hoping that I can finish these first 19 years of the 21st century without any regrets!

Promoting Books with Amazon's KDP Select

Do Amazon Promotions work?

Last month, I ran an Amazon Promotion with KDP Select to see if it would boost book sales and expand my audience.  If you are wondering if it is worth your time and effort, read on!

KDP Select Overview

By enrolling in KDP Select, Amazon is given exclusive digital rights for the sale and distribution of one or more of your books for Kindle Unlimited (KU) and Kindle Owners' Lending Library (KOLL) readers for a 90-day period.  As such, your work has the potential to be seen and bought by millions of readers worldwide.  What's more is, for every time pages are read for the first time, you can also earn a share of KDP Select Global Fund royalty payments.

To promote your book(s) to the Kindle store, you can either run a Free Book Promotion or a Kindle Countdown.  With a Free Book Promotion, each selected book is free for a limited time.  If you so desire, your promotion can run for 5 consecutive days, or on specific dates of your choosing.  With a Kindle Countdown, each select book is discounted for a limited time.  Both end after a 90-day period, and you have the option to re-enroll at its conclusion.  While I won't bore you with more of the particulars on the program, feel free to read Amazon's KDP Select.

Why I Did it

I never expected to be an independently published (indie) author.  Throughout my teenage years, when I'd first written the basis of what became my debut novel The Ellises Series #1 A Place to Call Home, I envisioned having an agent/publicist, and having my work picked up by a publishing house so that I would be featured in bookstores everywhere.  I may have been a tad overly ambitious, but at the same time, there were a lot of years where I saw so many authors gain notable mention and publicity because of their work, and so I fully expected that once I was published, it would all click into place.  Moreover, in print magazines, newspapers, and journals were all still the only way people had at their disposal during this time, because the internet wasn't even a thing.  And even when it was, not everyone had it in their homes (because smart phones didn't exist quite yet, either).  Scary times!  But that's all to say that my rationale was based off of what people did then, and so by the time I first saw my name in print for magazine and journal articles, and was also able to publish online articles, I began to see how much easier it was to "become a writer/author."  I didn't realize that it would also make it harder to market myself!

At the same time technology finally caught up, businesses started seeing the value of having websites for customers to find them more easily, so I enrolled in a certification program akin to an associate's degree in journalism to officially call myself a freelance writer.  It was where I learned to fine-tune the skills I'd started using, and how to approach potential publishers of all types.  After that, I enrolled in another certification program akin to an associate's degree in desktop publishing and design, which enabled me to know how to market myself visually, both in print and online.  Because of both certifications, I spent many years writing ghost blogs and articles, designing invitations and flyers, and typing resumes and letters as paying side-gigs, all while working a full-time office job in customer service.

What I knew then and now is that people are everything.  That's why I enjoy customer service - because helping others matters to me.  But what I found in the traditional publishing world is that there is a huge disconnect between how that works to bring people together with what they want (to read).  I've mentioned it before, but my novel was first published with a local, boutique press.  Advertising was minimal, but I naively assumed they had the tools to take me where I wanted to go.  Sadly, in under a year after the book released, my publisher made the decision to shut down because of the ease of self-publishing through Amazon affecting her bottom-line.  My options were to look for an even bigger publisher, or try Amazon for myself.  Right away, I saw Amazon as a double-edged sword in terms of helping and hurting traditional publishing houses, but it resonated with me in terms of wanting to get my novel back out there in print, and go forward with more of them, without having to soliciting manuscripts to publishers in hopes of getting a book deal in a few years.  I didn't have that kind of time to waste, not when I had a fan-base I wanted to maintain.

That was two years ago, and it's been a constant learning curve to keep up with how I'm supposed to "do things right" as an indie-author.  It's still a work in progress.  I participate in author groups, read all the blogs I could, and scour whatever free and low-cost resources are out there (mainly because of having a zero budget, but also because I have a penchant for good deals and am known for my frugality).  I've learned that to be successful, authors must achieve maximum exposure, while providing lasting value.  How that value is expressed is by how attainable and affordable my work is, as well as what others have to say about it (i.e., reviews).  So when I saw that Amazon KDP Select was FREE, I had to try it, just once, to see if it would be the marketing tool I had been waiting for.

Before and After Data Results

Prior to the start of my promotion, the Kindle version ranked (from Amazon's Kindle store):

• 788,816 in Top Paid Kindles
• 2,347 in Historical Christian Romance Fiction
• 4,840 in Historical Christian Romance
• 6,465 in US Historical Fiction

Compare that with the Paperback, which ranked (from Amazon.com):

• 2,660,671 in Top 100 Books
• 28,942 in Christian Romance
• 29,877 in New Adult and College Romance

Keep in mind, all advertising I'd done prior to this was word of mouth on social media, with an occasional boost from free advertisers on social media sites and email lists.  Additionally, I had 5 Amazon reviews, and 3 ratings on the book site Good Reads.

Promotion days were strategically set for 5 day in May: the 5th, the 11th-12th, the 27th, and the 29th., and I advertised with the sites Awesomegang, eBookasaurus, It's Write Now, Indie Book of the Day, eBookLister, Five Star Reads, and Frugal-Freebies, as well as some Facebook groups (see here for a list of ideas on social media promotions and hashtags to use).  I also Googled the book a few times, and saw a few other random sites that also listed the promotion without my having to - bonus advertising!!!

While not ALL of the sites I submitted to listed me consistently (some only let me choose one date per 30-90 days at a time, versus needing continuous dates, or just one date at a time) I immediately gained mention on It's Write Now and saw the most activity on May 5th's promotion, which carried over into May 6th, generally between 9 a.m. EST and midnight, with some but not all of those sales from KU readers.  

Best Rankings on May 5th for Kindle included:

• 89 in Top Free Kindles
• 2 in Christian Historical Romance
• 2 in US Historical Fiction
• 8 in Religious Romance

And while the paperback was NOT in any way free throughout my promotion days, I thought I would keep tabs on how it did, too.  Surprisingly, removing the Kindle version from all digital platforms except Amazon actually hurt the paperback's rankings:

• 3,414,225 in Top 100
• 33,031 in Christian Romance
• 33,327 in New Adult and College Romance

Kindle sales were amazing!  1,109 free on that first day, with 5 more that carried over to the next day, as well as 3 paid sales and 68 pages were read.

Best Rankings on May 11th-12th for Kindle included:

• 724 in Top Free
• 3 in US Historical Fiction
• 4 in Historical Christian Romance Fiction
• 22 in Religious Romance

Sales started as early as 6 a.m. EST, with 97 sold on the 11th, 96 sold on the 12th, and 2 that carried over to the next day, as well as 2 paid on the 18th, 1 on the 20th, 1 paperback on the 21st, and 1 paid on the 22nd and 26th each.  Pages read during this time varied, but started out at 180 pages on the 11th, to 331 on the 12th, 138 on the 13th, and then I also received two book inquiries on the 20th.

For the rest of the dates, sales dropped off considerably.  On the 27th, I only sold 43 free, with 1 carrying over to the 28th.  14 sold on the 29th, with 2 carrying over to the 30th.  

As of today, June 7th (which happens to be my mom's birthday!!! 🎂 🍰 🎉 🎁 ), I now have 9 Amazon reviews and 11 ratings on Good Reads, a few more followers and likes on social media platforms, and my rankings for Kindle are:

• 125,103 in Paid Kindles
• 933 in Historical Christian Romance
• 1,776 in US Historical Fiction
• 580 in Historical Christian Romance

Compare that with the Paperback:

• 1,746,082 in Top 100 Books
• 25,767 in New Adult & College Romance
• 23,621 in Christian Romance

As you can see, both sets of stats are greatly improved in the span of just one month!  It's also important to note, that I'm still in KDP Select the remainder of the 90 day period, so future rankings may dwindle once I'm no longer in it - who knows!  That's not to say I've not ever sold Kindle or Paperback copies of the book before, because I have and continue to see sales roll in for both ever since its release.

3 Things to Change for Future Promotions

Overall, I have been pretty pleased with how things turned out, but these are the things I would do differently:

1. Mention promotion days on social media ahead of time using hashtags and visual advertising posts a month in advance where applicable (with this round, I had a couple weeks lead time before starting the first promotion day).  On the day of, I would vary advertising posts so that there are different ones used, and not the same one over and over to bore people to death.  I created a total of 4 which I will definitely eventually re-use at a later time.  Also, some groups and sites I post to will only let me submit on the day(s) of the promotion, so even more advance planning will be necessary to ensure I don't forget to do them when I need to!
2. Offer promotional days consecutively or in intervals that coincide best with listing policies by advertising sites used.  This was my biggest downfall, especially when I wanted to be listed again on It's Write Now but couldn't because of it being too soon to be re-listed.
3. Enroll in KDP Select more than once.  I do plan to go back to having my other digital platform versions reinstated after KDP Select terms have ended, so I may have to check my rankings then and see what happens.  I will keep you posted!

Talking Books with Award-Winning Author Melody Carlson

This month I got to chat with another one of my favorite authors, Melody Carlson.  She's a woman who wears many hats, so I was honored that she agreed to be interviewed!  As a recipient of the RT Career Achievement Award, she has authored countless best-sellers, including Christmas by the Sea, Harbor Secrets, The Mulligan Sisters, Under the Summer Sky, Against the Tide, Diary of a Teenage Girl...and much more.

N: You are a busy lady!  Not only did you recently release Courting Mr. Emerson (which was refreshingly funny!!!) and Riptide Rumors, but you've also got your latest Christmas novel coming out this fall - Christmas in Winter Hill.  I'm looking forward to reading it!  What do you hope people remember about the book (CIWH)?

MC: I guess I am still pretty busy (I even have some releases that didn’t make your list!) but, believe it or not, I’ve slowed down a bit in the past several years.  Our world is in such need of (God's) grace these days, and so I try to inject some into each book and hope it will stay with the reader even after they end the story.  My hope for Christmas in Winter Hill is that readers will be uplifted and encouraged - ready to take on the holiday season.  Because Christmastime, while delightful for some, can be difficult for others.  Sometimes a good story can help.

N: Tell us about any literary pilgrimages you've gone on?

MC: I’ve done numerous ‘research trips’ over the years. From following part of the Oregon Trail to Martha’s Vineyard . . . not to mention touring Europe or living in a third world country. All these diverse places have found themselves in one or more of my novels. Writing really is a good excuse to travel.

N: Does writing energize or exhaust you?

MC: Mostly it energizes me, but sometimes—like if I’m crunching a deadline—I might feel a bit exhausted afterward. But it’s a good sort of exhaustion, like a sigh of relief.

N: How do you select the names for your characters?

MC: After writing around 200 novels for women and teens, finding character names can be a challenge - and I'm afraid I've used some more than once.  But I try to think of a name that somehow suits the character - although that can be pretty subjective.  Sometimes I'll use a placeholder name while I'm writing in the hopes that the perfect name will present itself before I'm done.

N: If you had to pick a super power, what would be yours?

MC: I like the idea of weightlessness, so either flying or being able to swim underwater without resurfacing sounds like fun.

N: Do you read your book reviews?  How do you deal with good or bad ones?

MC: I read book reviews from sources like PW (Publishers Weekly) or USAToday (forwarded to me by a publicist) but I barely read reader reviews from online bookstores like Amazon or B&N, etc...Because even if almost all are good, it's the one harshly worded negative review that will stick with me for days.  So, I just tend to avoid them altogether.

N: What's your favorite line from any movie?

MC: That's a hard question because I love so many old movies, but I know I've used Scarlet O'Hara's line from Gone with the Wind a lot.  "I'll think about that tomorrow."  It comes in handy sometimes.  "After all, tomorrow is another day."

N: Are there any surprises you learned along the way in your career?

MC: There have been a lot of surprises - from publishing so many books (which still staggers me) to getting some pretty cool awards.  I guess I'm surprised that I'm still writing - and enjoying it!

N: What are you creature comforts?

MC: I like my creature comforts.  I like being surrounded by beauty - not extravagant beauty - like simple beauty like you find in nature.  Right now, I enjoy sitting in a comfy chair on my patio, near the fish pond, surrounded by flower pots, tinkling wind-chimes, and hummingbirds.

N: Do you believe in love at first sight?

MC: I do believe in love at first sight.  But I also know it's easy to be tricked by infatuation.  But I think some people experience something magical or chemical or spiritual at first meeting - and they just know.  That's how it was for my husband and me.  Although he seemed to get it first.

N: Have you read anything that made you think differently about fiction?

MC: I remember a time, as a young Christian eons ago, that I thought fiction was sort of frivolous.  Then I read a really good novel that made me see people and situations differently - and it was like the light-bulb went on.  I realized that story was a fantastic tool for teaching about life.  After all, Jesus taught through story...we call them parables.

N: What life experience has tested your faith the most?

MC: Raising my sons has been my biggest test.  Their lives have not been easy - not on them nor their parents.  Again and again...I have to give it to God and to trust Him for the final outcome.

N: How many pets do you have?

MC: Right now, I have one dog, a twelve-year-old yellow Labrador retriever named Audrey.  She always comes to work with me (in my studio) and she's a sweetheart.  And, oh yeah, I have a bunch of pond fish that are like pets too.

N: What period of life do you most enjoy writing about (childhood, young adult, adult, middle age)?

MC: I actually like writing for all ages.  It depends on what I'm working on.  My Courting Mr. Emerson characters were older than usual, but I also am doing a tween series and absolutely loving those quirky young girls.

N: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few people will find?

MC: I feel like there are almost always 'secrets' in my books.  Sometimes I don't even realize it myself until I'm done.  That's just one more thing that keeps writing fun for me.

N: List 5 adjectives to describe yourself.

MC: Creative, diligent, hopeful, loyal, sensitive.

N: Fill in the blank.  Someday I want to...

MC: Someday I want to get into our motor-home and travel across the country, making stops at libraries, bookstores, schools, and national parks.

N: Tea or coffee?

MC: Coffee mostly.  But I like tea too.

N: What's your motto in life?

MC: I'm not sure I have a 'motto,' but I'd like to it be: 

I love God with all I've got and I love others with equal enthusiasm.

For more information about Melody Carlson, visit:

http://www.melodycarlson.com

FREE e-Book Alert in May

In honor of my 40th birthday, enjoy a kindle copy of The Ellises Series Book #1 A Place to Call Home exclusively on Amazon during select days in the month of May!

Download FREE when you shop on any of the following dates:

• Cinco de Mayo - May 5, 2019
• Mother's Day Weekend - May 11 & 12, 2019
• Memorial Day - May 27, 2019
• MY 40th BIRTHDAY - May 29, 2019

Visit or bookmark: 

A Place to Call Home FREE Kindle download

A Glimpse into the Life of Best-Selling Author Kristin Billerbeck

Recently, I had the pleasure of interviewing best-selling author Kristin Billerbeck. As an award-winning, bestselling author of over forty novels and novellas, including the beloved What a Girl Wants, she has appeared on The Today Show and in The New York Times and World Magazine. She’s also won the Carol Award, been nominated for a Christy as well as The Reader’s Choice Award. When she’s not writing, she's busy watching reality TV and trolling her kids on social media.

Best known for witty dialogues and relatable characters, Kristin's work can best summed-up as "faithful, froth-filled fiction" of the chick-lit variety. When we talked, she was on the go, but nevertheless happy to indulge me with a glimpse into her life.

N: Tell us about your latest book, The Theory of Happily Ever After. What made you decide to write it?

KB: My girlfriends and I were having a discussion about how smarter people were less happy. We live in Silicon Valley and though everyone has everything money can buy, no one seems happy. I had run into a happiness researcher at a funeral and that seemed like a sign. So I set out to find the answer to that question for myself and "The Theory of Happily Ever After" was born.

N: How long did it take to write?

KB: This book actually took a long time for me to write. Over a year, which is very slow for me. However, I had two boys going to college, one going in the Marines and my daughter home with me. So it was a time of transition. Normally, it takes me six month at the most. This one also had a lot of neuroscience and research in it.

N: It definitely was a fun book to read! What projects are you working on next?

KB: I'm working on two projects right now. One is a series about five sisters who inherit billions. That one is called "The Wentworth Heiresses." The other is a romantic women's fiction about two sisters, one who is beautiful, charismatic and mentally ill. The other is a caretaker and enjoys being behind the scenes. That one is called, "Love and Other Unlikely Events."

N: Do you have a favorite charity?

KB: I do. I love World Vision because you get to watch your sponsored child grow up and flourish before your eyes. Also, if there is ever a world emergency, World Vision is there and you can easily send money when led.

N: What do you enjoy most about connecting with readers?

KB: I just love readers. I mean, they are READERS and there just aren't enough of them left. My kids would rather watch a YouTube show than read a book. So I love just hearing from like-minded people who share a love of the written word.

N: How did you get your start as a writer?

KB: I was on prednisone for multiple sclerosis and I couldn't sleep at night. I had two young boys (two and one) and I had to find something to do at night that was quiet. And my eyes were moving, so I couldn't read. So I started writing because I could type without seeing.

N: What's your writing kryptonite?

KB: Anyone to talk to. If I'm not alone, I get caught up in conversation and don't get to what I'm supposed to be doing. Also, maybe Bravo TV.

N: Are there any characters from your books who are most like you in real life?

KB: I would deny it, but anyone who knows me would probably say Ashley Stockingdale.

N: What was the best money you ever spent as a writer?

KB: When I invested in Scrivener. It's a writing program and I still use it in the most basic way (it has all the bells and whistles) but I've never lost a word on it. The first time I lost something, I actually talked to the program creator (that's how long I've been using it) and sure enough, he got it back for me and it was my fault. LOL

N: Have you ever read anything that made you think differently about fiction?

KB: I love a novel that is so real it feels like it's non-fiction. "The Thorn Birds" is one of those books for me. I wish I'd written it. Also, "Crime and Punishment" truly changed me by showing me that we are all the prodigal son. We are all capable of anything given the right circumstances and that's why we need Christ.

N: If you had to pick a super power, what would be yours?

KB: Oh easy. I'd be invisible because I am nosey as all get out. If you're in Starbucks talking about your new start-up, be warned. I love to lift ideas for my books.

N: Do you Google yourself?

KB: NEVER. What other people say about me is none of my business. I focus on the work. If I read what people think, it will affect my truth.

N: Are you a glass half-empty or half-full kind of person?

KB: Depends on the day. Both, I'd say.

N: What has been the biggest challenge for you as a writer?

KB: My MS - which is ironic since it's also what started my path to writing. But it can be difficult when I'm having a bad brain day. I forget words some days, so now I write and put in "XXX" if I've forgotten a word and come back to it. Also, some days, my brain will write "hair" when it means "hare" and that is frustrating. And some days I can't see well and the words jump on the page (nystagmus) so that can make deadlines tough.

N: Are there any surprises you learned along the way in your career?

KB: I don't know if this was a surprise, but one thing I've learned is never to focus on what another writer is doing. You're on your own journey and you have to worry about your calling. If it's someone else's turn to be on the NYT bestseller list for two years running that has nothing do with you. When you hear from your readers, you will know why you were supposed to write your book.

N: What do you like to do in your spare time?

KB: I watch a lot of bad reality television, walk my dog, read and make sure I keep up all the important relationships in my life.

N: If you could live anywhere else in the world, where would it be?

KB: Orvieto, Italy or Charleston, South Carolina. I love history and I love the feel of both of these towns. I felt at home immediately in both places.

N: Do you have a favorite quote?

KB: The first line of "Pride and Prejudice." It's perfection.  The irony. The humor. Yet still we long for that romance...

“It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.”    

For more information about Kristin Billerbeck, visit: 

http://www.KristinBillerbeck.com and https://www.facebook.com/KristinBillerbeckBooks/

40 Things to Do in my 40's

With my birth month approaching as I reach a new decade (or "level" as I prefer to think of it), I've got a lot on my mind. All the things I accomplished through now. All the things I haven't yet. And between the two, it made me think of what I can do to look ahead to set goals of fun experiences I can plan on doing as a decade-long "bucket list" so that hopefully by the time the next decade rolls around, I would have gotten to do some amazing things. It will be fun to look back on what I was able to finish!

Bucket List for My 40's:
1. Meet Sir Paul McCartney. Even better if I get a selfie with him!!! :-)
2. Go to my third Sir Paul McCartney concert. The first one I went to was ahhhh-mazing! (The second one needs a do-over, but I'd settle for a third chance instead! The music was great, but my mom ended up falling and spraining her ankle as we were leaving the venue.)
3. Attend a New England Patriots game at Gillette Stadium. (I've seen them play here in Indy, including for the Super Bowl, but never on their/my home turf!)
4. Visit Prince Edward Island. Makes sense since I'm a huge Anne of Green Gables fan.
5. Visit the Holy Land. A once-in-a-lifetime experience!
6. Write at least 10 books. (So far, I've written 1 novel, 1 novella, an e-book, 2 journals, and a short devotional.)
7. Stay at a B&B in Europe.
8. Go on a winery tour in Napa Valley.
9. Take a cruise. (anywhere!)
10. Trade-in my van for a Jeep. (I miss having one, now that we're not having to transport our daughter and her friends around to Girl Scouting events.) Through a series of unexpected events, this was achieved in June 2019!
11. Take a genealogy class.
12. Meet a relative for the first time. With our family all over the world, we have so many people I've yet to meet, and it would be fun to meet those I've only talked to via phone or email or chat, as well as those whom I've only known of.  I finally got to meet my cousin's wife (March) , as well as my other cousin's granddaughter (August) in 2019.
13. Complete my family tree. (I still have a few gaps to fill in, but have accomplished TONS so far.)
14. Visit Disney Land. (We've been to Disney World a couple of times as a family, and while that's on my radar to go to again also, it would be fun to try something new!)
15. Take my husband and daughter on a trip to my hometown/home region. Having them see all the places I used to go to as a child would be great fun. :-)
16. Take my husband and daughter to visit my family in India. (Not as easy as it sounds, since my husband is hesitant to want to go, even though our daughter definitely is on board for that idea!)
17. Travel through Europe. Again, since my family lives everywhere, it would be nice to hit up places where they live and see them, but also go to some other locales we've long wanted to explore. Italy. Greece. Spain. Ireland. Scotland. Belgium. Monaco.
18. Live in our dream home. Where we are now is not where we want to grow old, and we have it in our mind's eye what we want it to look like.
19. Get a dog. (Yes, we have a sweet and adorable cat, but we would also like a dog whenever we have the room to have them co-exist, which unfortunately isn't feasible at the moment.) In March 2021 our cat passed away, and as of July 2021 we have a puppy!!!
20. See the Northern Lights.
21. Get braces. (Our daughter's smile is so lovely now that she's gone through the process; I never have them as a kid, but have needed them more and more the older I get.)
22. Have hot stone therapy/massage. I love massages already, but that would take things to another level of comfort for me! Courtesy of my parents, I enjoyed a lovely pedicure with hot stone massage and bonus chair massage in June 2019 :-)
23. Attend a ballet production of The Nutcracker.
24. Own a hardback copy of A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. (Not what you typically see in stores, but an older edition that's a little $$$.)
25. Have books written by me shelved at a bookstore. (So far, my work is available online to order with most booksellers, and otherwise can be ordered on Amazon, and is in circulation at the Indianapolis Public Library.) Accomplished this week (August 1, 2019) with The Gratitude Journal!  More to come, all at 4 Kids Books and Toys!
26. Write a guest blog on a noted personality's website. A fellow author I read, or any sort of celebrity.
27. Achieve at least 10 book reviews for books written by me. (Why? Because it's a fact that authors with 10 or more reviews gain the most visibility - and since I'm an indie author, any little thing helps when marketing is all up to me to do.) Achieved on October 26, 2019 with A Place to Call Home!
28. Have a website I don't have to maintain and a publicist. Other than blogging myself, I'd love to have someone else maintain my website, add in my books, and advertise for me! Those are some of my least favorite things to do.
29. Convert one of my wedding photos into a large canvas to hang in our house. Would you believe we only have a couple of photos in small frames sitting on a shelf and that's about it?
30. Own a conch shell. (My mom had one when I was little, and I was fascinated to hold it up to my ear to "hear" the ocean in it.) I'm a lucky girl - not only did my best friend gift me one from North Carolina in time for my 40th birthday, but my Mother-in-law did too, thanks to my husband's cousin who obtained one from the Bahamas.  I love both!
31. Have an anniversary band. I love the fact that I have two beautiful rings and that one of them was once my mother-in-law's. I also love my wedding ring, because it has my birthstone in it. BUT both rings have slowly started to weaken/flatten and could use a third ring to balance them out, plus it would be fun to have a third ring (nothing gaudy) that would have hubby's and our daughter's birthstones in it.
32. Do a radio interview.
33. Visit Australia.
34. Visit the San Diego Zoo. As a kid, I saw mention of zoos from around the world, and was intrigued by the SDZ and would love to check it out sometime.
35. Eat on the beach over an open fire at twilight. I don't care where, but that would cover the best of all things - fresh food, fresh air, ocean waves, fire, and my favorite time of day all rolled into one!
36. Own the full collection of Beatrix Potter books in hardback. It's something that reminds me of my childhood, with friends of ours who had a collection they let me read every time I visited, and I always vowed I would do the same but never even bought a single book yet! Got 'em all in 2019, thanks to my sweet Mother-in-law!
37. Visit all 50 states. I think at the time of writing this, I've made it to somewhere in the 20's, including some flyovers. But I'd like to actually VISIT somewhere in each state.
38. Attend a family reunion. There are a few parts of my family who host regular reunions on my dad's side and also my mother-in-law's, but we've never gone to any of them.
39. Plan or participate in a charity event or relief effort. (I've participated in a few toy drives, but that's about it.) Because of the pandemic of 2020, it was tough to accomplish public gatherings, but since that is also the year I began working for a non-profit social enterprise I've since been able to host a Barbie Doll Dress-Up Event and participate in a few community-wide relief efforts.
40. Have a book launch party! You'd think I would have already done so by now, but alas, I've not had the time or the funds to put forth such a thing. It would be great fun to plan one out, though, and do book signings and giveaways, etc.

So there you have it. My list of 40 things. It wasn't as easy to put together as I thought it would be, either! I actually had to sit and really think about what I would want to accomplish, as my immediate list came to only a handful of experiences. But the more I thought about it, more things came to mind - things I hadn't thought about in years, but was glad I did today. Now that you know my list, what's on yours?

Heart Matters

In honor of Valentine's Day, let me tell you a little romantic tale. It's about two people in love, who on this week in February in 1978 wanted to marry. Only, they didn't. Why? Because of the infamous Blizzard of 1978. Walking down the street in New England, particularly in Danvers, Massachusetts, was challenging in of itself; attempting to fly out of Logan airport to travel internationally was impossible. Therefore, wedding plans were delayed until further notice. That delay continued all month, until FINALLY on March 2, 1978, my parents were wed overseas.

There was no elaborate wedding, no photos to mark the occasion, either. Just the presence of all their loved ones as they said their vows with the Justice of the Peace, followed by a modest party with family and friends. Such was the start of their lives together, with many adventures ahead. But they weathered everything, just the two of them, sometimes without even asking for help from their loved ones. There were many things they handled on their own, which they were determined to figure out for themselves.

Their first test of love was in making it through a temporary season of living apart while my dad came back to the States and prepared a place for my mom. Not long after she finally joined him and made it a true home, she became pregnant. Only, circumstances happened that it was all but sure she lost the baby. Saddened but resilient, they moved forward, and it was to their utter surprise that around this time (give or take a few weeks) in 1979 that they discovered that little life (me) had somehow yet remained in the womb! No one knows how or why, but the very fact that it happened that way was typical of the rest of how our lives would be. And so, for their second test of love, I very impatiently made an entrance into this world two months ahead of my due date as a very tiny preemie that required all kinds of ongoing medical attention for many months and years to come.

My parents are generally private people who love family with a fierce intensity. And anyone who knows them knows how much that is true of their parenting. Good or bad, they spent every last dime on whatever it took to keep the three of us in good health and with a roof over our heads. Sometimes it meant we moved a lot, sometimes we had no car. And sometimes we ate with close family friends on a weekly basis. But no matter what obstacle lay ahead, my parents got through each one without fail. We were together, and that was what was important. They taught me that love is worth more than all the money in the world. It reminds me, in fact, of the very Bible verse found in 1 Corinthians 13:1-3 which can be paraphrased as follows:

If I don't have love, then everything I try to say becomes mere noise.
If I possess all the knowledge of the world and have the kind of faith that moves mountains, they amount to nothing without love.
If I give away everything I own for the sake of those in need, or suffer any sort of persecution without love, I gain nothing.

Time and again, through countless tests of love, my parents have shown everyone we know how much love is WHO they are. So many people have been invited over to share in humble meals, watch a football game, or celebrate holidays with us, just because they had little or no family to do so with themselves. My parents have gone out of their way to greet strangers, they've given rides to anyone who needed one, and have shown up unannounced with food and gifts for anyone they've been prompted to go visit.

For as long as I can remember, I've always made it a point to make their anniversaries special. One year, I arranged to have them take a limo ride to a fancy dinner for their first and only ever date night out. For another, I got our gang together and held them a surprise party. Just a few years ago, I put together a slideshow of wishes from our family from across the globe, set to music they cherish. And last year when they celebrated their 40th, I collected everyone's sentiments and hung them as ornaments on a table-sized "tree."

What I want my parents to know this year is that they continue to bring the rest of us joy by celebrating yet another anniversary. We LOVE you just as much as you love us all, and we wish you the very best, now and always!❤️. And have a Happy Valentine's Day, too!😘