Being Thankful

I have so very much to be thankful for.

In the spirit of the holiday, I’d like to encourage everyone to not only be thankful for what they have, but to give to those who are less fortunate. Local food banks, homeless shelters, and the Red Cross are a few of my favorites. I recently had a fantastic opportunity to help those challenged by Hurricane Sandy. That opportunity helped set November up to be a fairly crazy month.

Zuzi is eyeballs deep in the final throes of her doctoral project. I started my NaNoWriMo novel on the 15th (Yeah, yeah… I know). And, my dream agent will be doing a partial critique of my first urban fantasy book in early 2013.

Wait… what?!? Jennifer Jackson is going to be reading my work?

Yawp. I can’t believe it either.

On November 5th, four writers rose to Jennifer’s call for the writing community to support those suffering in the wake of Hurricane Sandy. Jennifer raised an impressive $6,000 in relief funds for those impacted by the devastating storm. I was lucky enough to be one of those in a position to contribute.

Needless to say, I’ve been obsessing over my submission ever since.

My friend Catie recommended that I talk to Betsy Mitchell for editorial services. I’m adamant about putting my best foot forward, and Betsy has some small amount of experience in the industry. Hmm… let me see. She spent ten years as VP and Editor-in-Chief at Del Rey. She has over thirty years in the industry. She’s worked with Terry Brooks, Elizabeth Moon, C.E. Murphy, Peter F. Hamilton, Harry Connolly and just about everyone else.

So… yeah, I’d say I’m in good hands.

Right now, I’m just committing as much time and effort as I can toward making sure what I place into those capable hands is worth their time and attention.

Happy Thanksgiving, from the great frozen north.