This past month, with Canadian Thanksgiving and all the good things that are part of it, has  been one big festival of gratitude and today I’m adding this post to the celebration.

First of all, I’m thankful to every person  who purchased my novels and shared them with friends and those who took the time to write a review. Without your purchases and reviews, Amazon might not have become aware of what I was writing. There are a lot of authors to look at out there. In fact, statistics say there are between 600,000 and 1,000,000 books published yearly in North America alone. Yikes.

This month I’m grateful beyond words for Amazon’s relaunch of The Promise of Provence and Promises  To Keep. The story that turned into the Love in Provence series thanks to the enthusiastic support of so many readers and requests for more of Katherine’s ‘mid-life coming of age’ journey.

Thanks to the amazing team at ‪#‎LakeUnionPublishing‬, led by Senior Acquisitions Editor, Danielle Marshall, for their priceless support and to all the avid readers who keep me inspired ! Book 3, I Promise You This, will be published Spring 2016. The last round of edits has been completed and I’m thankful for the guidance of my superb developmental  editor, Amara Holstein. Katherine’s journey continues!

As an indie author, I’ve been fortunate to reach a good number of readers and they have proven to be inspiring and ardent. Thank you to each and every one of you. I keep repeating that hearing from readers is the best reward for a writer! I’m constantly surprised and amazed at the personal and meaningful messages I receive along with simple “I loved the story” emails. Each one is special and I know I speak for my fellow authors when I express this: Writers love hearing from readers.

The other side of being an indie author is the endless support and collegiality that writers offer each other. Self-publishing is hard work: researching and writing the book, working with professional editors and proofreaders,  and choosing cover designers is just the beginning. Books will not sell without marketing and promotion to spread the word. Did I mention it was hard work?

Thank goodness for the community of indie authors, professional editors, technical experts, virtual assistants, author service providers, book promoting websites, bloggers and reviewers who offer each other endless assistance and share information so openly.

Through Amazon I look forward to having my books in front of many more readers than I could ever hope to reach on my own. Thanks to Amazon’s amazing marketing people, I will have more time to write novels.

Yes, there is so much to be thankful for. I hope you feel the same with your life.