The award was presented March 17 at EPICon at the Menger Hotel in San Antonio. I was thrilled to be at the luncheon because I had been sick for most of the week before. Unfortunately, I had a relapse and spent most of last week in bed, so I’m late in sharing my excitement about the award (as I’ve been late in moderating and responding to comments here—fortunately I had posts scheduled).

The award is named for a founding member and tireless volunteer for EPIC. Pat White passed away in 2009, but this award honors her memory. It is given for continuing contributions to the organization over a number of years. My nomination for the award recognized my role in establishing the New Voices Young Writers Competition. Six years later, New Voices drew hundreds of entries from teen writers around the world and is one of the EPIC’s most important programs. In addition, I have served as a judge for both New Voices and the EPIC Awards for many years.

Thanks to EPIC and to the members who voted for me to receive this award. I am deeply honored.

I have never served in a leadership role in the organization. If you think that your accomplishments aren’t valuable because you don’t hold an important position or stand in the limelight, remember this: What you do—big or small, on the stage or in the background—makes a difference!

The chiropractor told me to step over to the table in front of me. He helped me up, but I just fell face-down on the table.

“My body is heavy,” I said. “I can’t turn over.” Of course my body was heavy. I had always been overweight, but that wasn’t what I was feeling. I just didn’t know how to describe the sensation, but I knew I couldn’t move.

The chiropractor helped me get all the way onto the table, then he started massaging the back of my neck with an electric instrument. I started throwing up over and over and over again. I begged him for help, but he ignored me.

He said, “You have a bad case of the flu. I’m going to call your husband to come get you. I don’t think it’s safe for you to drive.”

“Not safe?” I screamed. “I can’t even move, much less drive.”

He just walked away and reached for the telephone.

For the rest of the story, read My Stroke: The Beginning. That post links to two others continuing the story of my stroke. Through the years I have written a number of posts on stroke, including risk factors and symptoms.

Now, twenty years later, I still have what doctors call “deficits” as a result of the stroke, but the good that has come from it has far outweighed the bad.

My wonderful loving husband cared for me throughout my recovery, but he always pushed me to do as much as I could on my own. His faith that I would recover, his confidence in my abilities, and his constant support meant more than I can say. We are closer and more in love today than ever.

I learned valuable lessons from the limits imposed by the stroke. I realized that what I can do is far more important than what I can’t do, and that I can do far more than I imagined.

As a result of the stroke, I finally realized my dream of becoming a full-time writer. I always planned to write “someday,” but after the stroke I decided “someday” is today.

If you had told me twenty years ago when I stepped through the door of the chiropractor’s office that I would be carried out after having a stroke, I would have turned around and run the other direction. But today, I know that I am a stronger person and I am living my dream with my soulmate because of the experiences I have gone through.

However, my plans for the coming year are simpler. As I age and have increased family caregiving responsibilities, I am slowing down.

I’m blessed to have an associate, Jan McClintock, who is taking over some of my freelance workload.  I’m not totally retiring. I love what I do too much to quit, but by this summer, I will be working only part-time.

I’ll spend more time with my husband Jack. I’ll read more and continue to rate and review books on Goodreads. I’ll comment and occasionally post on Facebook and Google+.

And, of course, I’ll be right here on my blog, posting at least twice a week about books and authors, writing and publishing, Christian and patriotic themes, and whatever else captures my interest. I hope you continue to read and comment—it would get pretty lonesome and boring here without you!

My pre-teenage nephew got a Kindle Fire for Christmas. I told him about the many years that ebook authors told people about ebooks and ebook readers (pre-Kindle types). Of course, he couldn’t relate to people not knowing—or caring—about ebooks and ebook readers. Back when the Kindle was first introduced, I predicted that it would have a positive impact on the future of e-publishing. That prediction has been realized more dramatically than I could have imagined. I heard that Amazon has been selling a million Kindle Fires a week during the holiday shopping season—and I don’t know how many of the other Kindle models.

If you’re one of lucky recipients of a Kindle, Nook, or other e-reading device, you’ll need lots of ebooks to read. People tend to read more when they read on an e-reader than when they read print books, so you may need more books than you realize.

All of my books are available as e-books. You can find everything I’ve written on Smashwords, where you can download books in a variety of formats to read on various e-readers, tablets, smartphones, or computers.

Fiction:

• Trapped by Love, a Novelette—a FREE read
• Dream or Destiny—romantic mystery
• Stroke of Luck—contemporary romance
• Fern’s Fancies—contemporary romance (humorous)

Nonfiction:

• Creating Fictional Characters
• Preserving Memories: Writing a Family History
• The Secrets of Fantastic Houseplants
• Finding the Information You Need

All the ebooks are $1.99 except Dream or Destiny ($5.99) and Stroke of Luck ($3.99).
Dream or Destiny is also available from Amazon for the Kindle.

Smashwords says:

It’s summer in the Northern Hemisphere, and winter on the southern end of the globe, so what better excuse than to have a sale for beach reads and fireplace reads. There will be four coupon categories: free, 25%-off, 50%-off and 75%-off.

You’ll find hundreds of great bargains that are also great reads during the sale, including (she said modestly) a novel and several how-to books from yours truly:

• Fern’s Fancies—5-star rated contemporary romance described by readers as both touching and humorous
• The Secrets of Fantastic Houseplants
• Preserving Memories: How to Write a Family History
• Finding the Information You Need: Research Tips for Your Family, Business, or Personal Pursuits

And while you’re there, don’t forget my always-free novelette, 5-star rated Trapped by Love, which readers have described as entertaining with surprising emotional depth.