Well, I've had quite a few months. I got married, had two weeks honeymoon, started as the pastor of Memorial United Methodist Church, and have been so exhausted with all the newness that my free time has been taken up with, obviously, wasting time. I can't say that I'm beyond that stage quite yet, but I have at least gotten around to telling the world who the winner of my promotion from two months ago is.
First of all, thank you to all who participated in my promotion. I can't say that I received the type of support that I would have liked but, then, one thing that I learned from my bike trip raising awareness and funds for the right against human trafficking is that I can't expect support. I don't mean that in a pitiful way. Rather, I mean that if my writing were of any real quality, then I wouldn't need promotions. That's where I need to aim. Still, that means the support that I received means all the more, so thank you very much!
The grand winner of the promotion is Samantha Torgersen... I mean, Samantha McElwee! I'm pretty sure she has both of my books already, so the whole free signed copy thing might not be of much interest, but Samantha now has the ability to tell me what she'd like me to write about for either an essay or a short story, or she can ask to be a character in a story, or she can be a main contributor or editor to something that I write in the future. Basically, almost whatever she wants. Since I'm a half-time pastor, the next big thing should be coming soon... but since I'm getting used to everything, she may have to wait a bit (and the world may have to wait a bit for my next publication, sorry!). Either way, it's still exciting. Congratulations, Sam!
And, even though you no longer have such a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, you can still become a fan of mine on Goodreads at goodreads.com or follow me on Twitter or become a friend on Facebook. Doing any one of those things will advance my writing career quite a bit. And if you believe in what I write, if you believe in me as a writer whose voice should be heard, then advancing my career is a good thing! (trying not to be too selfish here!)
Thank you for welcoming a small family of strangers into your church. If these are your first few steps as a minister, you're certainly on the right path. We wish you grand success in your ministry and as a writer. (http://lifesatrip.ca/2014/10/20/soul-food-and-mid-century-adventures/)
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