First, congratulations! 🎉

Second, even though I'm sure you told me at some point while you were submitting your delightful short stories to Prism & Pen that you had no writing experience or training, I guess I never quite internalized it.

From the very first story you submitted, your writing showed uncommon strength and polish.

I always looked forward to something new from you, knowing it would be delightful – and knowing I wouldn't need to do a lot of editing or back and forth with you.

I can't wait to read the novel now. Congratulations again, but mostly thank you for letting everyone know how useful hybrid publishing can be. It's a model that raises eyebrows among writers trained to believe that paying publishing fees is unethical. But the world changes, and self-publishing has profoundly changed the writing business.

Thanks so much for sharing your experiences!