Then and Now...Or, Helloooooo, 2017!

Three weeks into the new year, I can't believe the difference made by 29 months and a cross-country move. These two years, I believe, will always stand out in my mind:

and

2014: Charlotte, NCk

• A has-been author whose career had gone up in flames
• Arrived in EbookLandia under a cloud of defeat
• No real presence on Social Media
• Job: third shift for close to the minimum wage
• Out of shape
• Lived in a grade C apartment
• Felt trapped  in a city that I'd come to hate
• Daily commute: 2-3 hours a day

Somehow I found the guts, the wherewithal and faith to do what needed doing: namely, at a rather advanced age, to pull off one last cross-country move. This time, I'd go to a place I'd never been but which fascinated. And I'd move with limited cash, no definite job and no idea where I'd live. Best of all, I'd move by train.

Departure: September 2014

2017: Seattle, WA

• Author of 12 ebooks, a thirteenth coming in March
• A strong sense of having found my writing A Game
• Arrangement with Hold Fast Press for print editions of my Boss MacTavin mysteries
• Am booked for a March radio interview
• 1900 Facebook friends and 60,000 Twitter followers
• New job, M-F, with full benefits and a decent salary
• Regular workouts and a healthy diet
• Living in a decent studio in downtown Seattle
• Next up: a 1-bedroom apartment in my ideal neighborhood
• Daily commute: a half-hour each way to work

And, hey, the year has just begun!