As 2023 Races toward the End

BOOK STUFF

A few days after I wrote my last IBL post, I received the finished edits of To Marry an English Lord from my sainted editor. That sent me into a flurry of production activities, including but not limited to:

Assigning ISBNs to both ebook and paper editionsApplying for a LCCN (Library of Congress Control Number)Submitting for copyright registrationFormatting the book filesMaking final tweaks to the back cover copyRequesting a full cover treatment from my cover designerForming a new Advance Reviewer Team (apply if interested) Sending copies to my Beta readers to catch all those typos that still made it through editingSending copies out for endorsementsSending the script to the audiobook production companySetting up preorder product pages on Amazon, B&N, Kobo, and AppleCreating and uploading A+ Content to the Amazon product page

Later in the week, I received my first endorsement for the book which included the line “I literally could not put this book down and was up much of the night delighting in the story world and watching the characters grow, both in their faith and in their love for one another.” I confess, I love it when a book of mine keeps a reader up past her bedtime.

CELEBRATION

This past Wednesday (December 13), I celebrated 13 years cancer free. In some ways my cancer journey feels like yesterday. In other ways it seems much longer ago. But what is as true now as it was true 13 years ago is my thanks to God for the life He has given me.

And before I leave this subject, have you had your mammogram this year? If not, get it scheduled. Early detection is so important!

WORD FOR THE YEAR

Many people choose a word for the year ahead. You see it a lot in the planner community. But I don’t want to choose a word for myself. So it has been my practice for the past couple of decades to ask God each fall to give me a word that will play a part in the year ahead. Something He wants to teach me. A word He wants to use to guide me. He has been ever faithful.

Every word (sometimes a combination of words) I’ve received has come with at least one Bible verse. My first year (2005) my word was ENDURANCE. Not my favorite year because endurance was truly needed. This year (2023) my word is DWELL, and God has taken me deeper in my quiet times as I have sought the ways He wanted to apply the word in my life.

For 2024, my word is SHELTER. The verses God gave me are Psalm 91:1, Psalm 27:5, and Psalm 31:20.

The shelter in Psalm 91:1 is the Temple where the godly find safety under the protective wings of the Lord. Psalm 27:5 tells me that “in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; in the secret place of His tent He will hide me.” And Psalm 31:20 tells me that He will hide me in the secret place of His presence from the conspiracies of man and keep me secretly in a shelter from the strife of tongues.

Amen. 2024 will be a year where I shelter in Him.

Do you have a word for 2024?

I pray that this Christmas, you will draw ever closer to the One who is the reason for the season. May Christ dwell in your heart, and may you know true abundance in your relationship with Him.

I look forward to seeing you in the New Year.

~robin