Happy Thanksgiving! And What's Next?

 

I love Thanksgiving for one main reason: I love the act of giving thanks.

That's it. The turkey, mashed potatoes, and pie are all extras. The family time is extra. The family games we play are extra.

I love the act of giving thanks. I love the challenge of it, and the joy of it - once I get going.

When I taught at a homeschool cooperative in the past, I gave out Thanksgiving Writing Prompts, challenging students to write out things they are thankful for with every letter of the alphabet, or every letter of their names.

So, this is my challenge and hope for each of us, that we can find things, ideas, people, and places to be thankful for this week. Name 20 books you're thankful for. Name 10 things you've written that you're thankful for. Name 10 objects in the room with you that you feel thankful for. Name 26 people you feel thankful for, and maybe coordinate their names/nicknames with the alphabet. :) These are just ideas. I find that thanksgiving challenges help me to break out of my mental sludge that forces my gaze toward the ground. Thanksgiving helps me lift my head up.

I hope that if you read this, you have hope, joy, peace, love, and thanksgiving in your life.

What's New/Next for Me?

I am working through all the notes I took at 20 Books Vegas and at Write in the Harbor. The amount of learning and the excellence of the teachers has given me a lot to consider as a writer. I'll be bringing out more in future weeks from those experiences.

I am starting a Vlog on Youtube. I thought about starting a podcast without video - that would be easier, not to show my face, but I decided to go full Vlog. After years of thinking of this and holding back due to fear of failure, I decided to just start.

Find my Youtube Channel here: The Truth About Storytelling. The first video is my rough start video. The second will air this coming Friday and be all about my long, learning journey to discovering the necessity of author branding and what I'm doing about it. My hope is that authors find these videos entertaining, informative, and maybe a little encouraging - if I can do this, you can. :)

Events the last days of November:

Winterfest at Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor, Washington. I'll be there, selling and signing books. Please come by and say hello if you're there. :)

I'm part of a new Sword and Sorcery Book Funnel. So many books, so many authors, so many adventures! Check out your next new books!

For a limited time, I'll be a part of the BlackFriday/Cyber Monday SFF MegaSale only November 19th-28th!