My first published novel, Eve’s Amulet, Book 1, is finally born. It was quite a process to bring it this far, and the marketing and promotion has only just begun. Of course the journey has been worth it, regardless of how many copies I sell or don’t sell, whether Eve’s Amulet makes it to film or not, whether I get invited to appear on Ellen or just continue to envision the moment when we dance on stage.

This past year has been bitter-sweet and for months my book took a back seat to upheaval in my family and living situation. I’ve been separated from my beloved grandson, daughter, and pets but not by any of our choices. Place your pointer finger and thumb as close as you can to each other without touching and see how close I came to living out of my car. Through the painstaking retrograde or Jupiter in Cancer or whatever cosmic alliance has taken place this year, I have found out who truly supports me and my writing habit––and who doesn’t.

Things didn’t exactly go as planned. Things didn’t work out the way Iwanted them to or in my own timeframe. And although Divine Intervention played a significant card in my life, I know that the game is not yet over. I still have to pass Go and to hold Boardwalk in my hand, but it’s there before me, and I am only a few squares away to completing this pass around the board before I start another.

My friends have constantly supported me throughout this tumultuous year and without an occasional shoulder to cry or whine on, I don’t know that I would have managed. They reminded me to stay strong and optimistic, to see the good in all situations, and to trust that the process would help me become a better person, if not give me lots of great writing material. I think I’ve been blessed with both.

It’s good to know that we can almost always find hope and comfort through true friends, through family who isn’t afraid to take a stand for us, or through a simple change of perception.

Did your year offer you an opportunity for change or growth? That’s the nice way of saying did your first 8 months of 2013 suck as bad as mine and did you manage to make it work? Please share your growing experience or any fresh insights that you’ve made, whether you’re on the same path as me or anyone else who replies.

After all, our stories are important, and it’s through our sharing that we can genuinely appreciate our own experiences.