I've been looking back. 2020 has started off with SO much change, in my family life, my business and my writing, that it's been a bit overwhelming! Facebook flashes pictures from the past to remind you of things you may have forgotten. I got one this last week that made me need to stop and look back. I intended to have The Conductor: Book 2 of The Circle, finished and in print last year, but it didn't happen. I was lamenting that, but when I looked over 2019, there were other, very related, progress points that I'd forgotten!
The first one was that last year I pulled Harlem Angel: Book 1 of The Circle from the original publisher which required it being off the market for 30 days. Then, after launching my own publishing company, Shine Your Light Publishing, LLC, I relaunched Harlem Angel under my own label! That took some time, effort, planning and work. While during that 30 days it lost some traction (a lot of traction, actually), it's slowly climbing in sales again. I'm planning on running a special: when you purchase The Conductor, you can get Harlem Angel for a much reduced price. Progress.
Second, I read Harlem Angel for two bookclubs, and at The BookBar's Fantasy Night, hosted by At The Inkwell. They all went really well! I had the attention of everyone in the place at The BookBar, (I paused in my recitation just long enough to hear the silence... Booyah!). Shortly after that, I received an invite to speak at Colorado Community College of Aurora's National Day of Writing in October. It was a great opportunity to speak with new writers and young people looking to write their stories and get them into print. From the questions and feedback, I'm pretty sure I inspired a least a few of them. I also presented a short class giving a few pointers on how to get your work into print on two dates at Discover Your Spiritual Gifts in Littleton. I participated in the Denver Pop Culture Con where I shared a table on Author Alley with two other authors. I sold around 40 copies of Harlem Angel that weekend. There were also two other book signings; one at Cornerstone Books in Englewood, and the other at MLK Library in Aurora. Neither were very well attended, but there were a few folks, and that's better than none. At Rocky Mountain Fiction Writer's Conference in September, I taught a class on writing minority characters without stereotyping them, and sold a few more copies of Harlem Angel. I also did a cover reveal for The Conductor there that weekend.
Finally, I incorporated the edits from my Beta Readers into The Conductor, and then put it into the hands of my editor in November. I made considerable progress on the non-fiction, Allowing the Magic, Allowing the Miracles, A Blueprint to Ascension. All in all, a good ending to 2019, considering all of the other changes that occurred in my life last year.
Then we look at 2020. In just one month, the changes are moving ahead fast. My youngest son and his family moved to Denver last year and just last week they moved into their new home. Grandma duty is going to be 'a thing' now, and I love the challenge it brings. Both of my sons are now within an hour of me and I couldn't be happier about that.
Two weeks ago I received The Conductor manuscript back from my editor. Now it's just about making the changes and getting it to print. Magic and Miracles is a few pages short of done and it will be off to my Beta Readers. Both of them are targeted for print and release by the end of February. I'm currently judging for another book contest, and just this week was asked to teach a class at another writer's conference this summer. I'll also be attending the National Black Book Festival in October. All that and it's only January!
My healing business, The Light of Nature, is also moving right along. I've got two Meetups going, the Angel Power Hour, and Angels & Other Guides, an Open Gallery. Both of them have started off well attended. For the Open Gallery I've invited a guest healer to work with me each month. When I put the request out, I had every month but December filled within 24 hours. Whoa! That was amazing! I set my goals for clients and have had a good response from my efforts. My Seraphic Wisdom classes have been filling up as well. I have a new healer subletting my space with the intent that the days I'm on Grandma duty, she can use the space for her clients. So far, so good.
I didn't get everything I wanted to completed last year, but I certainly wasn't sitting idle. I can't complain at all. Listed above is only the highlights. The year 2020 is already filling up with things I never considered a possibility, and we're only 31 days in. At this rate, the sky is the limit. Stay tuned, I'll keep you posted!
