AN HOMAGE TO A FIRST BORN

Those of us who have written something and then were lucky enough to have the work published, know what it's like to set your first baby free. It is a day we never forget, a day we hold close to our hearts. It is a day filled with fear, pride, and sorrow. You've spent months, even years, with this baby, and now it belongs to someone else. You will publish again, perhaps you won't. But you will never publish a first book again.

A wonderful blogger and author, Ana Vitsky, writes a love letter to her first born over on her blog Governing Ana today. Now, if you have been lucky enough to follow Ana's blog this month, you know she is doing an Advent Calendar type-thing where daily participation is key in order to win fabulous prizes. Apparently if you post a certain something known only to Ana, you get a daily prize as well. I got lucky one day simply by making her laugh. She has the patience and the talent to do this and keep it up through Christmas. That alone is worthy of a million gold stars.

Aside from the beautiful love letter she writes to her first-born book, Ana is doing something extraordinary over at her place: she's bringing people together. She's getting people involved. We're having a ball over there, every day. And the involvement no longer has anything to do with prizes. I'm meeting other authors and readers, I'm learning new things, I'm being introduced to topics and subject matter I have little knowledge of.  TTWD, whether it's your lifestyle or just your writing genre, can be isolating. Ana has done something few other bloggers have done: she has brought this group together.

I'd like to pay homage to Ana today, and tell her how much I appreciate her as a fellow writer, a blogger, and most of all, a friend.

To Ana.  Love ya, girl.

Go on over and sign up for the Advent Calendar festivities. You won't be sorry.

And click on the book above to buy it on Amazon.

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