The Success of One is a Success for All

 As a writer, one of the things I enjoy is the time I spend around other writers. No matter what genre you write, we 'get' one another. We know the struggles and the joys that come with writing. We share the passion to create stories. We, hopefully, cheer one another on in our efforts to further our writing careers.

I've been privileged to be a part of an amazing writing community from those relationships I built while working with various small press publishers to my Authors Unplugged colleagues in Mississippi and now to Pennsylvania where I'm beginning to build new relationships with local writers and through a group called Pennwriters.

But once in a while the universe just tosses people together. I grew up in Brownsville, PA. Life took me on my own journey for several years. Fast forward to 2016. I connected with another writer from my hometown, an award-winning journalist who was now penning her debut novel. Robin Acton and I met up that August at the Killer Nashville Conference in Franklin, TN.

It was such fun to meet another writer from my hometown and talk shop over a glass of wine. I was intrigued by the plot of her book and couldn't wait to hear more.

Fast forward. I'd branched out from authoring to also editing. Robin sought my assistance to help edit her book and polish it up for publication. She was a dream to work with because, having been a journalist, she already had the skills to write the story and, having been a journalist, knew how to dig deep for the facts to make the scenes and the characters realistic.

On October 29, The Taker by Robin Acton, published on Amazon. She was beyond ecstatic. I felt a bit like dancing, too. Sure, I edited the book. But I know that excitement an author feels when their first book comes into being. And I always want to celebrate that moment with another author.

The Taker debuted to fantastic reviews. And rightfully so.

When she stopped dancing and screaming, Robin asked me, "What do I do now?"

I said, "You write the next book." But, of course, you first revel in the glow and glory of that first novel.

If you want an enjoyable, suspenseful, thrilling read, you can get The Taker here: https://www.amazon.com/Taker-Robin-Acton/dp/B09KNGF8QB/

To all my fellow authors out there, please remember we all started somewhere, all needed encouragement and support. Every success of one of us is a success for all of us. Celebrate one another!

Robin, here's to you!