Feeling Thankful – November 2024 Wrap

As November comes to a close, I’m feeling so thankful. This month was full of new music, lots of writing, announcements, and more. I’m excited to share the highlights.

Releasing “Candy Cane” and “Meet Me At Christmas Time”

This November, I released not one, but two, original Christmas singles. Ever since 2020, I’ve made it a tradition to release an original Christmass ong every year. Last Christmas, I wrote two, so I decided to release them both this holiday season.

First, I dropped “Candy Cane” on November 15. This is such a fun and festive one, featuring saxophone. One day last December, I was thinking about how I love Christmas time, but I’m not a fan of waking up early on Christmas morning, or being out in the snow because I don’t like the cold or wearing coats, and other things that make me a little different during the holidays. A candy cane popped into my head, since it’s sweet, but also twisted. So, I was like, you know what? I’m kind of like a candy cane. This sparked the idea for the song, and I had the most fun writing and recording it.

Second, “Meet Me At Christmas Time” was released on November 29. This one is a love song. The lyrics tell a story about what it would be like to fall in love with someone during the holiday season and the festive things we would do, like decorating and going skating. I’m obsessed with the production, since the song sounds like my favorite Christmas pop songs, and I’m so excited to share the studio vlog next month.

Both “Candy Cane” and “Meet Me At Christmas Time” are available on all the download and streaming platforms. I hope you’ll listen and make these songs part of your holiday season.

Winning My Second Gold Record

I’m delighted to share that I won another gold record from being voted as the Pop Artist of the Month through the Rampage Music Awards. I’m so thankful my Butterflies showed up and voted for me. Next month, I’ll receive my award, so I can’t wait to share a photo.

Drafting the First Two Parts of My New YA Locked Room Thriller

This month, I set myself a goal to write every day and draft the first two parts of my new young adult locked room thriller. I’m delighted to share that I reached my goal. My manuscript is currently at 31,263 words.

I plotted this book for about a year before I started writing it. So, this story has been living rent free in my brain for a long time. It felt amazing to finally start writing it, and I’m hoping to finish the first draft in December. We’ll see how things go.

Writing New Short Stories for Anthologies

Even though my main focus this month was my book, I couldn’t resist working on short stories for anthologies.

First, I wrote a new adult supernatural thriller story for a horror anthology with the theme of hauntings. When I say this one is in my top three favorites, I mean it. It’s definitely a thriller, but I’m keeping my fingers crossed that the supernatural elements give it a strong enough horror flare to fit the anthology. I’m seriously considering using this story as a prequel of sorts to a full novel. I’m not kiding about being obsessed with this one.

Second, I started writing a young adult cozy fantasy story for a charity anthology. Since I prefer darker stories, writing a cozy fantasy is new for me. I’m loving the story so far, and I can’t wait to finish it next month. Once I submit this one, I’ll officially be done with short stories for 2024.

As for news on submissions, my inbox was crickets this month. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for some acceptances in December to wrap up a fabulous first year of anthologies.

The Purcell Agency Internship Announcement

The news is out that I’ll be joining the Purcell Agency in January as a literary agent intern.

This is going to be such a wonderful experience. Agenting is something I may want to pursue down the road, so I can’t wait to learn more about the publishing industry through this internship.

The 2025 Writer’s Workout Conference Announcement

I’ve been sitting on this news for a couple months. I’m so honored I got invited to be a presenter for the 2025 Writer’s Workout Conference next spring. I’ll be presenting on publishing podcasts. This is such a wonderful opportunity, and I’m so thankful I get to participate in this conference alongside so many fabulous individuals in the publishing industry.

Revise & Resub’s Fall Into Fiction Event

In November, Revise & Resub hosted their first Fall Into Fiction event. The editors organized a calendar of writing sprints, brainstorming sessions, informative posts, and more. I led two writing sprints and shared a blog post called “The Author Life A to Z,” which you can read here. I had so much fun being part of this event.

Write on Track Hit 10,000 Plays

I’m over the moon to share that Write on Track hit 10,000 plays this month. I can’t wrap my brain around this. It’s so wild to me that my show has been listened to over 10,000 times. Hosting Write on Track is such a gift, and I can’t thank all my listeners and guests enough for making this show so special. Here’s to 10,000 more!

So, that’s a wrap on my amazing November. I’m beyond thankful for everything that happened this month.

2024 is almost over. I can’t believe it. In December, I’m hoping to finish my thriller and the fantasy short story for the charity anthology. Other than that, I’m excited for Christmas and more magical moments. 2024 has been an incredible year for me, and I’m ready to end it on a high note.