Well, Realmers, here we are at the end of 2023! I don’t know about you, but it’s been an exciting year, and I’m thankful for the many blessings Adonai has bestowed upon me and my family. Since I’ll be keeping Shabbat and celebrating New Year’s with family, I thought today would be a good day to reminisce the past year.

My debut novel Realm launched in April. After all the writing, editing, beta reading, editing, more beta reading, professional editing, choosing a launch date, ordering and sending invitations, planning the party, and then going forward with the book launch party, all I can say is THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU for making my dream of publication come true. I couldn’t have done it without all the love and support I received along the way.

One of the neatest experiences I had with promoting Realm was the creation of an unboxing video, book trailer, and scene re-creation with Heath and Michelle Smith. Be sure to check out the videos on YouTube at HL Gibson.

In May, I held a successful book signing at Thirty-two 8 Inspired & Co. where I made a new friend in baker and chocolatier, Michelle Kostich of Shell’s Confections. What a privilege and pleasure it has been to support each other in our chosen professions, but our friendship really is the icing on the cake, cupcakes, and cookies.

Another amazing book signing took place at Therapy Ice Cream & Coffee Bar in June, and several more people became Realmers that day. Many wonderful beta reading and editing sessions took place at Therapy. Lots of ice cream and coffee were consumed at Therapy. And it is with a heavy yet grateful heart that we bid a fond farewell to Therapy and wish the owners a happy retirement. You will be missed.

I kept writing during this time, but it was mostly blog posts regarding what I mentioned above. One of the best things to occur was the large amounts of positive feedback I received about Realm. I produced a decent amount of monthly marketing by creating my own ads for social media, which were well-received. Then there was a bit of a break for the summer, and I worked a bit on writing toward my current WIP.

My next event was my first multi-author book signing at Kern’s Home & Garden & Christian Bookstore. I coordinated with nursery owner, Heidi Flack, and the authors who participated, to create some lovely advertising for the Fall Open House. The weather was perfect on both days of the event, and the customers enjoyed having us there.

So, we did it again in December for the Winter Wonderland Open House! This time, in addition to lovely headshots, the advertising included a short bio about each author. Again, the day was perfect, and customers picked up some great reading material for themselves and as gifts.

Since I found my groove with creating my own ads, I finished my year with social media advertising because I wanted to focus on my family during the holidays. I also threw myself into working steadily on my current WIP, and while I’m cautiously optimistic, I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel for this one.

The big challenge regarding my current WIP in the coming year will be to stay focused and on track with concluding the novel. “What’s vying for your attention?” you ask. Well, it’s faithful fans and followers who keep asking when the next book in the world of Realm is due to be published. I must admit that I honestly did not expect that to occur quite so soon, and I’m going to have to look at my schedule to decide the logistics of publishing the next book. It’s all rather exciting and scary.

Stay tuned as I manage things here at Realm Central. If you haven’t already become a Realmer, be sure to pick up your copy of Realm today. You’re going to require the info in Realm as a foundation for the next book.

As always, I make the plans, commit them to Adonai, and He gives the go-ahead or adjusts the details as needed before I move forward. This is my secret to success, and it’s worked every time.

Wishing you and yours a Blessed New Year in 2024!