We Are Not Alone: A Guest Post by S. M. Boyce

We Are Not Alone....

No, this isn’t a post about aliens. I’m talking about gratitude.

I wanted to take a moment to step back from the marketing ideas, plot developments, writing advice, blogs, Google Analytics, SEO…*takes a deep breath* You get what I’m saying.

So often, we lose ourselves to the busy, busy, business of life and forget that we can’t make it alone. We all need someone, whether it’s the book blogger who reviewed your book, the reader who tweeted you to tell you they loved it, the friend who let vent about a bad review (in private), or the spouce/significant other/family member who is just always there, always encouraging. No matter how hard you work, life isn’t something you can go alone. Well, I guess it can be, but it’s a lonely place.

Sure, I wrote The Grimoire: Lichgates. I designed and outlined the trilogy. The world of Ourea is my original idea, and the characters are quite often drawn from bits and piece of the people I know in my life. But my husband could have complained when I preferred writing to watching TV with him. Instead, he asked me how much further I got each night. He read my book. He brainstormed with me. Hell, the man knows the plots for every single one of my novels and helped me work through the rougher, more complicated kinks when I had trouble. He’s honest when something sucks. That’s huge! He’s amazing. I don’t think I could have made it here without him.

And then there are my beta readers: my parents, of course, and my writing friends. Darling authors like Rebecca Hamilton and my editor, Stuart Kirby . There were book bloggers like J. Scott Sharp , Rob Zimmermann , Jessica Fortunato , C. J. Listro , and too many more to name. My readers made a longtime dream come true: I am an internationally read author.

Thank you.

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

If you want to make a difference, go thank someone today. Give someone a hug, or tell them how much they helped you.

It takes a second, but it’ll make their day.