50 States of Pray -- Florida

Merry Christmas Eve! Today, bloggers around the sphere are posting about blessings and giving back. A perfect time of year to be thankful and generous, but it shouldn’t be limited to this one month only, right?

Mark Koopmans spawned the idea for this blogfest, and I hope you’ll visit his blog today for a list of bloggers who are also sharing, representing the state of the U.S. they live in, as well as various parts of the world.

2013 has been a fantastic adventure for me. It’s the year I became a published author, and watched fellow writer friends do the same. I’m so proud and honored to be a part of this writer/blogging community. So many of you helped spread the word on my book by participating in my time trip blogfest, as well as purchasing and reading and reviewing–not because I asked, but because you have genuine hearts of gold.

So from me to you, THANK YOU.

Karma is a reality. You truly do reap what you sow. So for all of you who give selflessly, it does come back around, sometimes in bigger ways than you ever expected.

I’ve been thinking of ways I can give back to this community. I purchase new releases when I can, and review them after I read, when I can. I think for all of us the biggest obstacle in our giving back is time. In this writerly world of creating the best possible story, exchanging critiques and beta reads, publishing and promos, aside from our daily jobs and families, we don’t always have the luxury of reading everyone’s full works, and/or reviewing.

That’s why I’m opening up a monthly “Write It Right Review” as my way of giving back to you. It’s simple enough. Each month around the 15th, I’ll let you know when the window opens and closes, and during that time you can email me your query or blurb for a full critique. (No maximums, I’ll take as many as I can during that window of a couple days.) We can always use many eyes on our “selling points” before querying agents or uploading eBooks, and I’ve been around long enough to know what’s catchy, and what’s not.

And I want to share that knowledge with you. There are some fabulous blogger resources already out there: Dianne K Salerni and Marcy Hatch do First Impressions on their blogs and give excellent feedback on first pages. Matthew MacNish has been doing public query critiques for years. And if you need someone to write your blurb for you, Michael di Gesu offers that paid service via his blog.

Not to mention all the wonderful writer sites and forums that offer similar opportunities. But this is just another way to get feedback, in private and free of charge. From me to you in the strictest of confidences. So take advantage if you need it. Just lookout for the notice here on my blog, as well as Twitter and my Author page on Facebook. (Links in my sidebar)

Here’s to a magical holiday season, and stellar 2014! Now, it’s back to the writing cave for me! I have a sequel to finish! May your new year be filled with peace, love, creativity, and productivity.

I leave you with some Random Acts of Kindness pictures that will warm your heart and make you smile.

35 Pictures That Prove the World isn’t Such a Bad Place 

So tell me, how will you celebrate the new year?