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Friday, November 10, 2017

Donna Alward: Being Th New Kid

This year has brought about a lot of changes, and has cemented the feeling that even though I know A LOT, there’s also a lot I don’t know. And sometimes the greatest growth happens when you’re moved out of your comfort zone and into new situations that broaden your knowledge and horizons.

First case in point: I’m moving into more indie publishing, with more control over my work and how it’s marketed. It also means learning so much about what’s working on the marketing front, what’s not, and how to use it most effectively! I’ve taken courses, paid for some services, and am in the process of hiring a virtual assistant. I’m setting my own deadlines and have a renewed focus on delivering what I say I’m going to deliver.  It’s heady stuff, but a little overwhelming at times, so I have to remind myself I need to step back once in a while.  I often feel like the new kid learning what everyone else already knows, but I’ll get there.

The second “new kid” thing is that on November 1st I took on the PAN Advisor position on the RWA Board of Directors. For the past few years, I’ve served on the PAN Steering Committee and last year was the Chair. I thought it would be good preparation for board service, but the first board meeting is TODAY and over the past few weeks I’ve very much felt like I’m treading water in the deep end. I’m more than a little awed by the collective intelligence and success of my fellow board members. 

Here’s the thing with being the new kid in new situations: there’s always a learning curve. And that’s okay. Most of the time, no one expects you to be completely up to speed and for the transition to be completely seamless.  And quite often the pressure we feel is put on by ourselves, and no one else.

At least that’s what I’m going to remind myself as I’m immersed in three days of board meetings, both excited and terrified.

That’s a good thing, right?

Donna’s latest release is DECK THE HALLS, a new novella in her DARLING, VT series!

With shades of It’s a Wonderful Life, one man must face his past to find his future this Christmas.
In the last year, George's life has drastically changed. The formerly homeless veteran now has a job he likes, a family in the residents of Darling, VT, and for the first time in years, a home. But while his present is good, he's still haunted by the past, a past that appears shortly before Christmas when the older sister of his brother-in-arms hunts him down and finds him in Darling, working at the Ladybug Garden Center.
Amy’s looking for closure for her family after her brother's death in the Middle East, but the serious man she finds working in Vermont doesn’t resemble the soldier she remembers from years before. This man is hardened and yet somehow fragile, too, and in her desire to find out what really happened to her brother, she learns more about George than she ever expected.
With a little Christmas magic and the whole town supporting them, can these two bruised hearts make a future together?



Where Your Heart Finds Home…

1 comment:

dstoutholcomb said...

sounds wonderful