A Writer's Silver Platter

My view in Colorado

How often do you count your blessings?

Health might be the most important; food is a necessity, as is money; intelligence cannot be minimized or taken for granted—and with that, education; and we cannot forget love. No, this is not an impostor sitting in for Karolyn... who only a few short years ago might have mentioned new black pumps, Prada purses and pearls. Now all I want is to be published (and to retain the aforementioned blessings).

Why do I not have a whiskey in my hand?

As I type this, I'm sitting in a beautiful Colorado home, where my husband and I will spend the next week. He'll be drinking coffee and reading. I'll be transcribing pages and pages of notes I took last week when we were lucky enough to spend the week in Jackson Hole, Wyoming on my research trip for my current novel... the one I wrote while we spent the winter in Costa Rica.

Please forgive me here, I'm not bragging. This admission scares the shit out of me.

I spent eight years as an art dealer with an evermore lucrative art gallery (i.e. it started out paying me zero, and ended up paying me a monthly pittance). When the moment came to re-up my lease or close, I closed it so we could travel and I could begin writing. Now I'm back to being paid zero.

The scary part is that I have every opportunity and every bit of the responsibility. I have been given the Writer's Silver Platter: a laptop, a location, loving support and lots and lots of quiet time. When I publish, I will have so many people to thank: my husband for his unending support, my parents for my brain and their support, my children for growing up and leaving the nest, and countless friends who've given me so much encouragement and advice (specifically my former artists and Twitter friends who will not let me quit). But no excuses, and no one to blame if I can't make this happen.

So, now I must produce. I have counted my many blessings, and I'm ready to test my skills. By October 1st, I will be querying agents for "Invented Lives." Get ready World, here I come.