25 Authors and What They're Thankful For
25 Authors and What They're Thankful For
It is that time of year to reflect on all that you’re thankful for. 25 Authors share what they’re thankful for this year.
Lynne Reeves Griffin
My two-year-old grandson spends some time each week with my husband and me. I'm beyond grateful to have the chance to nurture a close relationship with him, and for the pleasure of seeing the world through his eyes. It goes without saying that I'm thankful for my health, my husband, and my children. Family is everything to me.
Briana Cole
I am thankful for love. This has been a trying time for me and my family this year and I am just so appreciative for the love and support that we have received, not just now but always. That love is what keeps me motivated and encourages me to keep going hard with everything I do. I am also very thankful for opportunities. There are so many doors opening for me in my creative journey and I am excited for what's in store!
Samantha Durbin
The opportunity to publish my 8-year passion project, Raver Girl, with She Writes Press. No agent wanted my manuscript and I decided to pursue a hybrid publisher who accepted me. I've never gone the straight route in life, and having alternative, innovative ways of publishing is an option for aspiring authors now. My book has always been a labor of love, and now it's an investment I was able to have more creative control over. Party on She Writes Press!
Nicole Magistro
Independent booksellers - what a supportive and enthusiastic community of readers who have overwhelmingly supported my debut picture book. I have so much joy and gratitude for those on the front lines hand selling in the face of the pandemic and the holiday crazies!
Reyna Marder Gentin
I'm thankful for my husband and children, who accept me and encourage me, who experience my joys and disappointments, and who allow me to fully share in their lives. I feel very blessed, when times are good and when we are struggling, because we know we're not alone.
Nancy Stella, PhD
I am most grateful for two things: 1)l the publication of my book and humbled by the people that have helped me. Particularly my daughters who made endless Starbuck runs and Moca, Enzo and Frankie who kept my feet warm as I typed.
2) I am also grateful for acceptance. This past year going when old wounds have been poked, acceptance of the past has allowed me to heal.
Kaira Rouda
I am thankful to be able to see my family and friends again, to have come through the dark days of the pandemic (hopefully), and to be moving on to a new normal. I'm thankful for my book writing career and for the chance to connect with the reading community. And I am beyond grateful to be an author - the career I dreamed of since third grade. Happy Thanksgiving!
Olivia Swindler
I am so grateful that I got to see my family this summer! Because of travel restrictions, I didn't get to see them for 18 months (I live in France and they live in the states). I am so thankful to have gotten to see them again!
Paulette Stout
I’m forever thankful for the love and support of my family. This year has been a monumental challenge on many fronts. From family health crises, to life-altering opportunities like publishing my first book, we’ve rallied to support each other. Having that unconditional love was and is an awesome blessing.
Elizabeth de Veer
I am incredibly thankful for public libraries! I live in a small town on the north shore of Massachusetts. There are lots of small towns around us and each one has its own library with various resources, always including super friendly and knowledgeable librarians. I am forever impressed by the creativity and cheerfulness instilled in the programs for kids, and speaking of kids, when my 10 year old daughter is in search of a certain kind of book, our librarians are always on hand to pull out a stack of books for her. When our town's library re-opened after being closed for the pandemic, I thought the event deserved a fireworks show. And now, trying to write in this sort of middle chapter of the pandemic, I am not yet ready to go back to my favorite coffee shops, but, happily, a beautiful library about 15 minutes from home offers a Quiet Study Room where I come in, close the door, enjoy the WiFi and make myself at home for a few hours. Thank you, libraries!
Barbara Linn Probst
Although 2021 has been a difficult year for everyone, I have found myself becoming increasingly aware of the many blessings, large and small, that continue to come my way. A sight of beauty. A passage of music. A moment of shared laughter, and the feeling of our common humanity that the laughter brings. More and more, I find myself grateful for the small gifts that are all around—the gestures of kindness, generosity, and connection that are stronger than all the things that seem to separate us. I've been lucky. My loved ones are healthy and safe. I have work that matters to me, and the joy of knowing that my stories have touched people. Everything I truly need is here in abundance!
Kristina Parro
I’m thankful for the people in my life (new and old) who support me! This year marked a lot of personal changes for me, including quitting my full-time job and becoming a published author. Still, one thing stayed constant: the love I felt from my family and friends. I’ve learned that the most important thing in life is love. Transcendental love: the support you find when you manage to find balance near the universe’s golden, harmonious equilibrium.
Annmarie Kelly-Harbaugh
I often complain about the burden of juggling writing and parenting. There are never quite enough hours in the day to accomplish all that needs doing: the line edits, the dishes, the deadlines before dropping into bed. But today, as I think about my children and my career, I am so fiercely proud to have made room for all of this. I see how my kids inform my work AND the way that work has shaped my kids. They are kind-hearted, fun-loving, and confident. My stories are like that, too. And being a parent has also broken me open to vulnerability and love that finds its way onto my pages. The kids and the writing have made me daring and afraid, loyal and curious, doubtful and strong. I am so grateful for this art and this life.
Jenn Bouchard
As this is my debut year as a published author, I am so grateful for the other writers I have gotten to know this year. From everyone in my 2021 Debut group and in WFWA (Women’s Fiction Writers Association), to all the writers who have interviewed me for their website or podcast, as well as everyone who has answered one (or several) of my many questions, THANK YOU. I couldn’t have gotten through this year without you. Now I will pay it forward.
Judy M Walters
I am thankful that my family will all be together for Thanksgiving week. I live in New Jersey. My older daughter lives in England; my younger daughter lives in Ohio. I rarely get to see either of the, nevermind both at the same time!
Marilyn Brant
I'm incredibly thankful for the world of literature -- its many genres and all of the stories within them. Books have sustained me over the course of my life, especially during the difficult times, and the community of authors who create them are inspiring, strong, and resilient. I'm also so grateful for my family and friends, particularly my son (a Thanksgiving baby!), and the gift of time to spend with them. Wishing everyone reading this a peaceful and joyful holiday season. xox
Shawna Rodrigues
I am grateful for the fleeting hours when you are truly one with your muse. Those precious flashes when the writing flows from your fingertips and you know there is power in what you are creating.
I am thankful for travel and the ability to connect with other people, cultures, and places. To see things from a new vantage point and to have a small escape from the stressors of the world.
I am deeply grateful for an amazing partner in life, who may have taken 20 years longer than I would have liked to come into my life, but was worth the wait. I cherish every ounce of laughter, every gram of support, every moment he makes brighter, and the load that he makes lighter.
Kristine Klussman, PhD
I'm poignantly grateful for the time I am spending with my two teenage sons this year, because my oldest is heading to college soon, and I know things will never be the same.
Melissa W. Hunter
After a stressful couple of years, I am thankful that our family can be together again this Thanksgiving. Above all, I am grateful to have a husband that supports me and two amazing daughters who make me proud every single day. Family is my world and my muse.
JoAnn Catania
After over a year of query submissions in search of an agent, ( with barely any responses, even rejection letters), and being older than most debut novelists, I decided to take the bull by the horns and go with a hybrid publisher (after reseraching them thoroughly) who welcomed my submission. Eight months later my novel was published and out there. My publisher was professional and supportive at all stages of the editorial and publishing process. I am grateful to them for giving me the opportunity to achieve my dream, albeit late in life. I am furiously working away at several more novel ideas which I also hope to publish in future, if need be, in the same way. Thankful to be able to share this milestone with my mother who just turned 106!
Ramsey Hootman
After a medical crisis and surgery in 2020, I've never been more thankful for my health and my recovery. I don't think I'll ever take being pain-free for granted again!
Maryka Biaggio
I am grateful for friends who became a part of my pod and were diligent about not spreading COVID.
Christina Consolino
Light fall breezes, sunshine on my skin, and the low drone of the insects at night. Memories. Candles. Books. Ice cream. My children, my husband, my sisters, my parents, my in-laws, my nieces and nephews. The obstacles I've faced and the lessons I've learned. Good health. Good friends. Toasty flannel sheets and fleece bathrobes. Ice cold water on a scorching day. Hot coffee in January. Feline and canine friends, past and present. Life.
Leslie J Hall
That I have an amazing husband with a good job who encouraged me to transition out of full-time work so I could have more time to focus on writing! During 2020 I didn't work at all for six months and was able to get two of my books fully edited and published on Amazon with a third in the series coming out this year! Having the time and headspace has been amazing and really changing up my writing life. Not having a long commute to work has helped too. Now I'm working part-time but spending most of my energy on writing.
Judy Prescott Marshall
I am most thankful for my husband, family, friends, followers, and for the many authors that I have met during my career.
