Who knew after lots of assistance and advice I’d have successfully submitted my first novel to Amazon for sale? Not this woman. When I started this journey over ten years ago, I was set on a traditional publishing route. I set out to gain an agent and submit to traditional publishing houses.

In the past decade, the publishing industry has changed tremendously. Back then, indie publishing had the reputation of being less than. It included a lot of poorly-written, poorly-edited books that were tossed together and put up for sale. They had poor quality covers and less than stellar interiors prone to typos and other errors.

I wanted nothing to do with that.

Now, however, indie publishers provide viable, quality products. The stories are well-written, well-edited and well-proofed. The covers are up to industry standards and it’s difficult to tell the difference between traditional presses and indie imprints.

Many of my writing friends are indie or hybrid authors. They publish either exclusively independently, or write both traditional and independent novels. All routes have become acceptable as long as skimping and poor quality control are not part of the process.

I’m grateful to all my indie friends, especially Lisa Phillips and Jayci Roek from Two Dogs Publishing and Kim Autry of Never Alone Publishing and all the lovely writers and readers on the various Discord channels who’ve provided comments and advice and support through sharing on social media and newsletter sharing. I couldn’t have navigated this journey without you.

Special thanks to my daughter, proofreader and encourager extraordinaire who always believed in my dream and continued to support and push me toward this goal. And to the others in my family who sacrificed time and money to see this accomplishment through. I love you all!!

Thanks be to God who planted this dream in my heart and provided opportunities for me to learn and use the talents He gave me.

And thanks to you, the readers, who open my emails and check out my ramblings. I appreciate your support more than you know!

To celebrate you, I’m giving away a FREE signed print copy of my book. To enter, reply to this email with your pre-order receipt by December 20th, and I’ll put your name in the drawing to be held on December 21, 2024. (Open to all subscribers, though if the winner is outside the US, you’ll receive an ebook to share in lieu of print.)

Please share this with anyone who might enjoy a sweet, faith-filled, contemporary romance with horses, hope, and happily-ever-after.

Don’t wait! The price increases after Christmas. Reserve your copy now at the lowest price or read it in Kindle Unlimited when it drops on December 20th! And if you enjoy the story, consider writing and posting a review. That would be the best Christmas present you could get me.

Until next time I’m praying for a wonderful Christmas season for you all. Celebrate the joy and hope that comes from Jesus’ birth. And if this is a hard season for you, I’m praying for light to enter your darkness just as Jesus brought light into our dark and dreary world so long ago.

Here’s some of what you can expect from Loving the Rodeo Queen.

Que te vaya con Dios!