by Katherine Reay, @Katherine_Reay
We made it! The end of 2020. I don’t like wishing the end of a year — it feels like dismissing a significant portion of life and I am not trying to do that — but it’s been quite a year! If 2020 has taught me anything, it’s the truth behind the reality that I control nothing.
Hmmm… Let me refine that… I control my attitude in facing it all.
In that spirit, I choose to celebrate this month. Celebrate a year full of twists and turns, pain and heartbreak, joy and family. Celebrate a year of work and writing. Celebrate every small grace that has come my way and every bit of suffering that has taught me more.
In looking to 2021, I hope you have a year of productive writing ahead. And I hope you enjoy this little spot on the Internet — it’s a wonderful place to learn more, share in the journey with fellow travelers, and hone your skills.
And, as you make your New Year’s resolutions, I hope you remember grace. Giving it to others is often easier than extending it to ourselves. It’s particularly important in such a task as writing a novel. Yes, some things we can control, but others we cannot.
Novel creation is like running a marathon — the training (writing) takes a long time and on race day (seeking publication) anything can happen. But, throughout it all, it’s important to stay the course and give it your best day by day, letting those things outside your control not diminish your joy in the journey.
All the best to you as we end 2020 and step into a new year.
Happy Writing!
Katherine
Katherine Reay returns to the cozy and delightful town of Winsome where two people discover the grace of letting go and the joy found in unexpected change.
After fleeing her hometown three years earlier, Alyssa Harrison never planned to return. Then the Silicon Valley start-up she worked for collapsed and turned her world upside down. She is broke, under FBI investigation, and without a place to go. Having exhausted every option, she comes home to Winsome, Illinois, to regroup then move on as quickly as possible. Yet, as friends and family welcome her back, Alyssa begins to see a place for herself in this small Midwestern community.
Jeremy Mitchell moved from Seattle to Winsome to be near his daughter and to open the coffee shop he’s been dreaming of for years. Problem is, the business is bleeding money-and he’s not quite sure why. When he meets Alyssa, he senses an immediate connection, but what he needs most is someone to help him save his floundering business. After asking for her help, he wonders if something might grow between them-but forces beyond their control soon complicate their already complex lives, and the future they both hoped for is not at all what they anticipated.
With the help of Winsome’s small-town charm and quirky residents, Alyssa and Jeremy discover the beauty and romance of second chances.
Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author of several novels, including Dear Mr. Knightley, The Printed Letter Bookshop and the upcoming Of Literature and Lattes. She has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books and brings that love to her contemporary stories. Katherine’s has also written one full-length nonfiction work, Awful Beautiful Life. She holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University and currently lives outside Chicago, IL with her husband and three children. Publishing credits also include Redbook, USAToday, Christianity Today and FamilyFiction. You can meet Katherine at www.katherinereay.com or on Facebook: KatherineReayBooks, Twitter: @katherine_reay and Instagram: @katherinereay.