SISTER-AUTHOR-FRIENDS

I am blessed to have an amazing group of sister-author-friends. Warrior women who do what I do and who understand that sometimes we have the best job in the whole wide world and sometimes this literary life can be pure hell. Some of those connections are solely through social media. Others I’ve met in person and I enjoy those times when we can commiserate face to face. And one or two have become regular drinking buddies.

We keep abreast of each other’s activities. We follow up on each other’s children and families. We cheer each other on. We shake pom-poms on book release dates. We exchange tips and writing advice. We genuinely want to see each other excel and we regularly lift each other up in prayer.

It was not always this way. I’ve been published since December 2003 and finding like-minded individuals proved a challenge. I wasn’t about the bickering and cattiness reminiscent of today’s ratchet reality shows. I didn’t last long in those groups that only wanted to make Oprah’s book club list and didn’t care who they dragged down, stepped on, or stabbed in the back trying to get there. Women who couldn’t fathom that we could accomplish more together than we could ever accomplish tearing each other down. I am grateful that those days are behind me.

Writing is a solitary occupation. Authors spend much time in worlds of their own making. Workplace relationships are far and few when you’re the only one in the office. So, this is a shout out to those phenomenal women who’ve been my battle buddies along this magnificent journey. They know who they are and they know I have much love for them all.

Being able to connect to women I can call friends, who do what I do, has been a blessing and I am grateful.