October has fled, November arrives. All things scary and creepy gives way to thankfulness and that writing madness called NaNoWriMo. (Yes! I am participating.)

What is NaNoWriMo? National Novel Writing Month, where an author writes a novel of at least 50,000 words within 30 days. Sheer madness, yet highly effective.  My project is the next book in the Destiny Defined Series, Magick Revived: Destiny Defined Book 4. I’ll share the cover with you a little later this month.

And now, I present to you ten things I am thankful for this year.

Ten Things to be Thankful For

• My husband. I don’t always show him the appreciation he deserves, and I know I can be hard to live with, especially as I get older and more set in my ways, but I am very thankful God sent this man my way. I couldn’t do the things I do—write, stay at home—without him.
• My publisher, Crazy Ink. It’s been almost a year since I first signed that contract for Elven Games and the series with them, but it’s been a wild year. I am so thankful they took me and my words on and push me with the deadlines they set and are not easily dissuaded from. Thank you for seeing my potential and my quirks and working with me anyway!
• My tribe. This is my inner circle of fellow authors I can call on just to talk writing, vent about life, or share good things and never find judgment. They laugh, cry, and scream with me. They help edit and clean up my writing. They offer support when I need a boost. I am so very grateful to have found them.
• I am thankful God led us to move to Ohio. Things are much different here than in Virginia, where we are from, but most of those differences make our lives a bit easier to survive in. I have had more author appearances and gained more real life author friends within the two years we have lived here than I ever thought possible.
• I am thankful for Paul Davis. This is my editor. He tears my stories up and leaves little comments along the way that tells me he’s invested in it, even though he’s tearing it apart. I don’t think he understands how much this helps me and how deeply I appreciate both him and his cartographer wife, Dana. Thank you for everything.

• I just mentioned Dana Davis. She makes the maps you see in my fantasy series. I am very blessed to have such a brilliant mapmaker as a friend. I do hope we get to meet face to face someday, and I haven’t forgotten that case of wine I still owe her. Thank you for making the world in my head a reality.
• The Unicorn Herd. It has grown so much this past year, and many of the members are readers and fans of my work. I don’t know how I got so lucky, but I’m really glad they’re around.
• My #pubfam. This stands for “publishing family.” When Crazy Ink signed my series, I didn’t just gain a publisher, I gained a family. It’s one of the most supportive groups on Facebook I’ve ever been involved with. I am very grateful for all their support.
• My family. They are very forgiving of me when I have work to do on the weekends or when I do crazy things like wait til the last possible moment to finish up a story or sign up for NaNoWriMo. I love them with all my heart and appreciate all of them.
• I appreciate YOU. Thank you for visiting my blog when I post new things (and sometimes recycle old posts). Thank you for not calling me out when I don’t. Thank you for laughing, crying, and celebrating with me. Blogging makes no sense without you. I appreciate you.