November was a month filled with things to be thankful.
A lunch date with friends. Time with family. A 100th birthday party. A tasty Thanksgiving meal.
Here’s a photo I took on Thanksgiving Day. Impressive, right?
I’m a photo taking monster. Any family member will tell you I’m annoying about wanting to wrangle and arrange them to snap a shot. I take photos almost every day, especially if there’s an event of some kind.
A couple days ago, I swiped through the photos on my phone and felt disappointment with the meager Thanksgiving remembrances. I took four photos. Four. That’s it. And this blurry piece of trash was one of them.
Something occurred to me as my finger hovered over the Delete button. So involved with my family and the holiday meal, I didn’t stage the moment. The photos were an afterthought, a hastily acted on blip on my radar. My attention wasn’t on tomorrow’s preserved memories, but on the people gathered around me right then. The laughter, full plates, and the love. Mental checklist set aside, I was fully present in a way I often am not. It’s a terrible photo, but I’m going to keep it.
Living in the moment is an act of thanksgiving.
No News is Good News?
I don’t know if that old saying applies in the case of a proposal in an acquisition editor’s Inbox, but that’s where things stand. Fingers crossed I’m not in with the Junk mail. Thank you to those who keep hoping and praying I get an email requesting the full manuscript. For me, that would be like rolling a Yahtzee! Or hitting a homerun if that works better for you. ;-)
I’m working on a Reader Magnet to clear my head before diving back into my final bit of editing of my novel. What’s a Reader Magnet? Something to draw potential readers to a writer and get another all-important newsletter sign-up. In my case, I’m writing a short Christmas story with the family from my book set decades before the novel’s events. My goal, overly ambitious for December, is to finish by the end of this month. End of January, at the latest. Do people still read Christmas stories in the new year? I guess we’ll see.
Don’t worry. When it’s ready for you to download, I’ll send you an email with a link.
Can You Help?
People have asked if they can help me on the journey to publication. If you are wondering, the answer is yes. YES! Absolutely! I’d love all the help I can get. Gosh, I appreciate you asking.
Publishers and agents take note of official numbers from newsletters and social media accounts. A solid audience of friends and readers makes a HUGE difference in whether they will take a risk with a new author. Here are some ways you can help me share my writing.
1. Subscribe to my newsletter on Substack. (There’s a link in this email.)
2. Follow my public Facebook account. Becky Sue Harwood
3. Follow my public Instagram account. Becky Sue Harwood
4. Follow my Twitter account. Becky Sue Harwood (X? No. You can’t give yourself a cool nickname and have it stick.)
5. Share, SHARE, SHARE! Forward my newsletters to friends you think would be interested, and Like and Share my posts when you’re on social media.
6. Email me. Yup. I’d like to hear from you. Your ideas, interests, and thoughts. What would like to see in future emails?
Giving
In the spirit of sharing with others this Christmas season, I’d like to facilitate your shopping for the reader in your life. I own and have read all these books, and you can’t miss with any one of these excellent novels. Bonus – every one of these authors are Oregonian. (Though one did move to Texas recently.)
In Search of Forever by Patricia Lee
One Last Stand by Melanie Campbell - (if you hurry, you can catch book #1 of 3, One Woman Falling free until 12/9.)
Coming Home to Roost by Dorcas Smucker
What Happens Next by Christina Suzann Nelson
When Stone Wings Fly by Karen Barnett
Christmas is coming!
I have a gift for you. Three Christmas cellphone wallpapers available to download. One or all three. They are yours. If you like them, feel free to share them with a friend. If you have trouble doing any of these techy things, email me. I’ll help you.
Click to download Wallpaper #1 “I am the light of the world.” John 8:12
Click to download Wallpaper #2 “For to us a child is born” Isaiah 9:6
Click to download Wallpaper #3 His Light Shines on Us.
The of hope, peace, joy, and love of the Christmas season is too often overwhelmed by the worry, hurry, and loss. This year feels particularly strained to me with family members struggling with health conditions and a world that seems determined to tear itself apart. It is more important than ever that we be Christ’s ambassadors. Share the hope. Bring the peace. Create the joy and wrap those around you with love. I pray that each of us will experience the wonder of His Light illuminating even the bleakest corners of our world and lives.
Merry Christmas!
Becky Sue Harwood
P.S. Here’s a lovely Christmas carol for you.
(This version is almost as beautiful as when my friend Carrie sings it.)
Pentatonix - Mary Did You Know?