New Year’s Eve is upon us, and I wonder where 2016 went. I feel as if the year zoomed by, and I merely tried to keep up with it. While I experienced some setbacks, I’d like to celebrate the year’s achievements, including some great professional milestones.
- The publication of The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge, a book I was honored to coauthor with Horace Dade Ashton and Marc Ashton, http://thespiritofvillarosa.com
- Presentations on my first memoir, What Lies Within, and The Spirit of Villarosa, to the following audiences:
- The Brotherhood of Temple Beth Torah, http://www.templebethtorah.com;
- Customers of The December Store & More, https://visitventuraca.com/business/the-december-store-more;
- The Docent Volunteer Council of the Museum of Ventura County, https://venturamuseum.org;
- The Adventurers’ Club and the Southern California Explorers Club, http:/www.adventurersclub.org and https://explorers.org/events/detail/chapter_event_southern_california;
- The Friendship Connection #1.
- Appearances at Local Authors’ Fairs sponsored by the Thousand Oaks and Camarillo libraries, http://www.tolibrary.org and http://www.ci.camarillo.ca.us
- Receiving the following awards and accolades for my writing:
The Royal Dragonfly Book Awards, http://www.fivestarpublications.com/bookcontest
- First Place in Biography/Memoir for The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge with Horace Dade Ashton and Marc Ashton
- First Place in Historical Nonfiction for The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge along with Horace Dade Ashton and Marc Ashton
The Human Relations Indie Book Awards, http://www. humanrelationsindiebookawards.com
- Gold Winner in Self-Reflection/Memoir for What Lies Within, http://libbyatwaterbooks.com/what-lies-within
- Honorable Mention in Self-Reflection/Memoir for The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge along with Horace Dade Ashton and Marc Ashton
- Gold Winner in Historical Human Relations for The Spirit of Villarosa: A Father’s Extraordinary Adventures; A Son’s Challenge along with Horace Dade Ashton and Marc Ashton
I also experienced some personal milestone celebrations in 2016, for which I am grateful. My husband and I celebrated forty-seven years of marriage, and we attended my fiftieth high school reunion, where I enjoyed reconnecting with old friends. Other highlights include time with family in California and the Midwest. Love of family and good health are the two ways I measure my fortune, and I indeed feel very fortunate.
May your 2017 be filled with good health, love, prosperity, and peace.