I’m a dog person.

Growing up, my family always had a dog. First was the elderly dog who was around long before me. Next came the puppy when my brother and I were in elementary school. Then another dog to keep our aging puppy company.

And then I grew up. I graduated college, landed my first job, and was on my own in the big city. Life without a dog was lonely.

When I say dog person I mean that I come from a long line of people that are devoted to animals who are equal members of their family with the humans.

The crazy kind (just to be clear).

My husband is also a dog person and two months after proposing he was ready to officially start our family…with a dog.

I have really bad allergies. Cats are the toughest (although the lure of watching MTV while cat sitting had me suffer through puffy eyes in my teens) followed by dogs. By happy accident, all of our family dogs were non shedding.

My husband and I wanted to rescue a dog. We decided we’d go to a shelter and see if any dog matched our criteria. I’m not going to sugarcoat it. We wanted to save all of them. We went to four shelters and had no luck. It was tough to walk away but we were determined.

And at the fifth shelter, we found her.

This is my Libby. She is my sweetheart. She’s kind of bitchy (but so am I) and she is my spirit animal. A companion in every sense of the word, this little girl is my shadow. We rescued her about three years before we had our first child. She has been by my side through everything.

I will never buy another dog because now that I’ve rescued once, I’ll rescue again.

If you want a dog, I hope you’ll do yourself a favor and visit a shelter. In my heart, I think she knows we saved her. But the cliche is true, she kind of rescued us.

I was delighted to join other local authors at my fabulous library’s 2017 Indie Author Day. (For my 2016 recap, click here) It’s a great opportunity to learn what’s fresh in the indie publishing world. I feel lucky to be writing in the post self-publishing revolution. I am grateful for the authors who have paved the way to working as a hybrid (both self-published and traditionally published–my ultimate goal).

One big takeaway this year: no matter how an author is published, you have to be paying attention to marketing. Social media has changed the game and, I think, encouraged interactions between readers and authors. I’m on most social networks but really enjoy the informal, conversational style on Twitter and Instagram. Be sure to connect with me there.

Didn’t make it to an indie author day event? You can still check out some of the resources (including videos) here.

 

It’s been a while since I’ve posted an update on what’s happening behind the scenes. So here we go!

This year I’ve been writing, a lot. I wrote a three-book series featuring thieves, the first in what will be another three-book sweet series set in Chicago, a first draft novella intended for a Kindle World (and because I always think in terms of series) an outline for another novella, and am starting work on a two-book series that has been an idea I’ve circled for years.

I’m really excited to share these projects with you, at some point. My goal for this year was to jump into the slush pile and submit to publishers. I’m hoping to polish the first book in the current work in progress (an update of my favorite movie, Holiday Inn) in time to submit to publishers before the end of the year.

It’s been a year of dusting myself off after a disappointment. It’s been a year of getting back to work. It’s been a year of growth.

I’ll be working hard to finish each of these projects and get them published (in some capacity). These are stories I’ve loved writing and can’t wait to share. For the time being, know that I’m writing, editing, and learning as much as I can to give you the very best from me in the coming year(s).