In two days I’ll put a turkey in the oven, mash potatoes and watch my husband make stuffing. Our children will gather and we’ll say thanks for our blessings.

Like other Americans, I’ll give thanks for life, liberty, and the ability to pursue happiness. I’ll give thanks for the love and support of family, friends, and even for the hard lessons I learned from others who weren’t friends. Then I’ll add my special thanks for this year when, with the publication of Rosalyn’s Ring, I made the leap from writer to author.

In advance of the big day, I’ve come up with an author’s gratitude list.

I give thanks for:

The great storytellers who paved the way, from the ancients up to the present. A special shout out to Jane Austen–not the first romance writer out there, but definitely the one with the most traction. Nora Roberts is one of the present-day greats, though we’ll have to wait about two hundred years to see if she has as much tread on her tires as Jane.

The teachers who taught me reading, writing and grammar, especially Sister Cyprian, who was as stiff and starchy as her sentence diagrams.

The inventors of word processing and the personal computer–so much better than pen and ink, and so, so much better than the typewriter.

The inventors of the internet—whoever they are! Instant access to information.

Romance Writers of America, for professional fellowship and support.

My writing friends, published, unpublished, and just starting out.

Amazon and E-publishing. Never has publishing been more accessible to the common man and woman. Never have books been more accessible to readers!

Barnes and Noble and all the independent book stores, for hanging in there through tough times to bring authors and readers together.

My local public library, for giving this bibliophile a low-cost fix.

And readers everywhere!  Thank you, thank you, to those who have taken the journey with me.

Have a wonderful turkey-day! Hug the ones you love and live life!

Happy Thanksgiving