In all seriousness, I'd like to say thanks to the girls for spending their weekend writing for me. I had an ulterior motive for asking them to participate in the Blog Takeover, and I'm thrilled that the girls each touched on friendship and family in some way in their posts. I wanted to introduce all of you to the amazingly talented and downright awesome people with VIP seats in my cheering section, and they've once again managed to beat me to the point. :)
I've met some of my nearest and dearest through writing, through fanfiction, through volunteerism, or through some of the weird and random things that come out of my mouth, and I couldn't be happier about it. The Tripod and the girls have gotten me through some tough times.
Last January, I got really sick, and we weren't really sure what was wrong for a long time. Because of my neuro history, I was referred to a neurosurgeon who decided to run several tests to see what was going on with my brain. He discovered a spot on my brain during an MRI/MRV that caused some concern. One thing you never want to hear is that you've got a spot on your brain, and the doctor isn't really sure what it is. When he calls you the next morning and tell you he needs you back at the hospital for bloodwork ASAP, you tend to alternate between outright panic and being numb with fear.
I spent weeks stuck in bed, ready to set it on fire while the neurosurgeon and his evil twin (my neurologist) ran tests, tried out different medications, and otherwise drove me insane, but I didn't deal with any of it alone. The girls and Accolito sent me random funny tweets or emails to make me smile, blew up The Husbinator's phone with texts to check on me, fielded inquries from readers, and were otherwise exactly the strong, caring and courageous people that I'd come to adore.
(We eventually discovered that the spot was a lesion and were able to rule out pretty much every underlying condition under the sun. I just have a weird brain that does stuff it shouldn't for mysterious reasons it hasn't felt a need to share with the class. I feel great, so no fretting.)
When it was all over, and I was trying to decide what was next, everyone had their own ideas. One recurring theme was publication. I heard it from every quarter for months, and the girls were a big driving force behind the sneak attack. When I caved and told them I would try, one of the things that stood out to me was how each of them, in their own way, told me to do it for me, because I'd earned it and I deserved it. I'd never really thought of it that way before, and it was the push I needed to step out of the bat cave and give it a go instead of diving right back into the workforce.
They've been there every step of the way since. They read Fade in its thousand different forms, logged into my email to press send on the very first query when I couldn't, celebrated with me when I signed the contract, helped me put into words and images what I had in mind for the cover, told me I was awesome when I felt anything but, and a million other things that, done alone, would have probably been overwhelming. I'm blessed to have each of these talented writers in my corner, and, more importantly, I'm blessed to call them friends.
Fade is what it is today because of their unflagging support, their eternal optimism, and their willingness to tell me "I told you so" as often as necessary. I wanted to share them with the world as part of 30 Days of Fade because they are the reason we're here today. They've made me a stronger writer, challenged me to make the tough choices, and have been absolutely amazing through all of it.
So thanks for letting me share them with you! :)
And thank you, ladies and Accolito, for being the heart of and driving force behind Fade and this crazy journey we're all taking together now. We wouldn't have if it weren't for you, you know. We'd still be hiding in the bat cave with Fade gathering another year's worth of dust.
xoxo,
A.K.M.
A.K.M.
I will be back tomorrow with lots of pictures and the report from mini-vacation. :)
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