I’ve read many acknowledgements where the author says “Writing is a solitary job” – while that may be true for some I’ve found that during my journey from complete novice to now multi-published author I’ve never been alone.

I started writing back in 2002 as a bit of fun with some wonderful girls from the eharlequin.com community forum. Oh man did we have a lot of fun in the “Rec Room” and “Alternate Realties”. It spurred our own story “Latrop Adventures”.

From there I started my story which became “Bound By Her Ring“. Through that whole adventure I was never alone, those girls were an email away or a fun adventure on eharlequin.com away.

From there I joined Romance Writers of Australia and found my critique group WINK. Again not alone as they helped me hone my craft and get my stories in ship shape. When I went to my first conference I meet the people I’d gotten to known online face to face. It was an absolutely great feeling.

Then I moved to Houston away from all I knew family, friends, my writers support group. For months after we moved to Houston I couldn’t write I was just adjusting to my new home location.

Then I joined Romance Writers of America and my mother chapter West Houston Chapter. I walked in and two lovely authors Sophie Jordan and Christie Craig welcomed me as if they’d known me for years. Again I wasn’t alone in that room.

Now that I’m published I have met so many people on twitter and facebook and my fellow authors have all made me feel very welcome and part of a family. I’ve now found lifelong friends through social media and my publishers.

I’ve also had the unending support of my family. The picture above is of us at Warner Bros studio in California. We are sitting on the couch that the cast from “Friends” sat on. The cafe set is set up and people can walk around it and take pictures. I think it’s an appropriate picture to have for this blog, Friends was a wonderful series and showed no matter what someone always has your back. I feel that way in the writing world.

So I can say for me, I’m not alone in my journey I’m surrounded by many many people.

Today is the last day of 2012, something I’ve always done is a a recap of my year. I’ve spent the last few minutes re-reading my previous recaps. It’s always good to see where you’ve been and what you’ve done and hopefully how you’ve changed and grown.

The last couple of years our New Year’s Eve has been spent in different parts of the US. This year we are home in Houston and about to spend the night with some new friends we’ve gotten to know the past couple of months. Who knew Twitter could lead me to some wonderful new people.

So what a year 2012 has been. So many highs and a few lows but at the end of the year I’m surrounded by those that mean the world to me – my husband and kids.

When I started 2012 out I was hopeful of having dreams fulfilled but not sure how to get them to happen. I was waiting to hear on a partial from M&B Medical. I’d worked with an editor on this manuscript so I was hopeful. A couple of months in I heard back and the news wasn’t good. I have to say I was pretty devastated with that outcome and the thought of writing again, well it took me a while before I sat down and looked at my work again.

But the world still goes on and people around me were getting “the call” and celebrating sales. I wanted that as well – badly. Of course the only way that was going to happen was to submit – so I took the plunge and did. As you know that manuscript sold and was published on 22nd October 2012. I was on my way.

There is nothing to describe the feeling of seeing your work on various sites for all the world to see and buy and review. In this industry you have to take the good with the bad and if it’s bad, just suck it up because you know someone else will love your work.

Since that first sale in June I’ve sold another two stories. Another one to Crismon Romance and one to Escape Publisher. Wow!  At the beginning of the year I hoped to be published by the end of the year I was and in 2013 I have another two stories coming out.

But while that is great, I have to make sure that my next work is better than the previous one. It’s a tough business but one I’m glad to be part of.

Another highlight of the year was going to Disneyland – it truly is the most magical place on Earth. I didn’t want to leave it was so much fun and every day was an exciting adventure there.

I was happy to have my brother, sister-in-law, niece and my niece’s boyfriend come visit us for Christmas – finally we had a family Christmas.  It was such a wonderful day.

As the year draws to an end I look back and can say that I achieved my dream of becoming published. Now that I’m published I want more books out there. I want to get on the best seller lists. I want to win awards. But most of all I want to bring joy to my readers. I want them to have an emotional journey with my characters. I want them to laugh and cry and sigh when they hit the end of the story.

I hope that everyone has had a wonderful 2012 and may 2013 bring more dreams for us all.

NF