Authorfest 2016

All my life, I’ve sought certainty. I like to know how things will work out. I don’t like it when plans change at the last minute and I’m not very well equipped to deal with the unexpected. Unfortunately, with each passing day, I’m learning that certainty is rarely, if ever guaranteed. Things can always change. Plans can always falter. Hearts can always shift. It’s scary, and it’s something I’m constantly struggling to cope with.

I spent this past weekend in Denison for the third annual Authorfest. It’s incredible how much this event has grown since our very first year. As always, we had a dinner and a reading Friday night and a full day of signing at Free Comic Book Day and Bark in the Park on Saturday.

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I met several new authors and reconnected with old friends as well. And I may have come home with one or two new books… Or ten…

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I got to enjoy the beauty of my favorite small town. And made the acquaintance of a few of the locals.

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But being there, with people who share my passion for words and books and storytelling really reminded me of why I started writing in the first place. It isn’t for any grand reason or a desire for fame and fortune. I write because it’s what I love. And hearing their stories and experiences, I felt certain that I was exactly where I was supposed to be. Am I certain that my books will become bestsellers? No. Of course not. But I am quite certain that I am proud of them, and that this is what I was made to do. It’s where I find my place. It’s where I belong. It’s where I find freedom and magic and hope and love. And that’s an incredible feeling.

There have been times in my life when I felt constantly out of step. Like I could never find my path. Or I would find it and I’d stumble off. For years, I constantly saw what I didn’t have, what I wasn’t, and wondered when it would all happen for me. Now I strive to see what I do have, the chances that I can take, the experiences and opportunities that I can make mine. I like to think I’m well on my way. But then again, I know I still have a lot to learn.