Happy hearth/myth anniversary!

What a difference a year makes, huh?

My first post on this blog went live August 16, 2011.  That means it's been close enough to a year to celebrate.

I took a brief trip down Memory Lane yesterday and looked over all the posts I've made this past year.  Okay, my ulterior motive was to find some that I could re-run, thereby saving myself the hassle of writing new posts every week.  (I didn't find many. That's the downside to concentrating on writing topical posts, I guess.)  But in the process, I got a pretty good sense of where I was when I began this blog.

In August 2011, I had just published SwanSong, my second novel and my first foray into indie publishing.  The Pipe Woman Chronicles weren't even a glimmer in my eye.  I had a goal: to make some money with my writing.  And off we went.

I've learned a lot this past year, both in the technical arena (OneNote and GIMP and Power Director, oh my!) and about the business of being an indie author.  I've mapped out an urban fantasy series, written two-fifths of it, published one book in the series, and am on the verge of publishing the second one.  I've written blog posts and guest blog posts, answered Q&As, gotten reviews -- and sales! -- from total strangers.  I've created three book trailers (the Seized trailer was featured this past week at the Indie Exchange).  I'm on the staff at Indies Unlimited.  And SwanSong is a finalist for a Global Ebook Award.

And I'm still learning. I keep reading blogs and news articles, keeping my ear to the ground about the business, and picking up new technical skills.  And I'd like to think my writing is getting better (although I guess you guys will be the ultimate judge of that).

Anyway, it's been a fun ride so far.  Thanks for coming along with me.  And just so we're clear, the party's just starting.  Have some cake -- there's plenty!

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I'm Lynne Cantwell, and I approve this blog post.