Fantastic Company Breeds Success!

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Well, it's pretty obvious, isn't? When we're surrounded by others doing well, it inspires us to do well. And when we're all doing well, nay-sayers and doubters only make us strive to do better to prove them wrong. Can you say you disagree? I sure hope not!
I have been surrounded by quite a few successful authors for months now, and I do believe it is rubbing off. 


Warning: This is a total suck up, gratuity blog! I love my fellow authors and will take every chance to brag about them that I can get!


So who do I start with? Well, I won't put these in any particular order, just random. 

Cassandre Dayne: A wonderful author published with many presses and a truly wonderful lady. Cassandre was one of the first authors I reviewed, and that book, Spankdown, opened me up to the world of BDSM. She is a fantastic role model for aspiring authors, and a testament to just what one person can do when they put their minds to something. In my opinion, she is the poster girl for success!
Sherry Tooker: A fellow starting author. We have become super close over the past few months and are so similar it is a little spooky at times. Being so new to writing for publishing, we both have a lot of moments where we are filled with self-doubt. Sherry has helped me out of some severe funks, and I will always be grateful that I can call her friend and writing sister. We bounce ideas off each other, read over snippets from the other to make sure they read ok and are always ready to give a shoulder to lean on. That is what true family is about. 

Vampirique Dezire: A naughty Mother Hen, in my eyes. Without her, I wouldn't have met Gina (whom I shall speak about momentarily), and been encouraged to get back in to writing. I wouldn't have ever considered reviewing. And I certainly wouldn't be writing books two and three of Wolf Smitten since The Wolf In The Neighborhood was accepted by Naughty Nights Press. My first submission accepted. I cannot tell you how thrilling that was, but I owe a lot of my success to this wonderful lady. She, like Cassandre, is supremely busy as Director of Marketing for NNP, as well as writing her own blog, writing her own stories from time to time and spending time with her family. (And I'm not just talking about her writing family) This lady is definitely an inspiration and a wonderful person I'm honoured to call friend.

Gina Kincade: What can I say about this woman. She's strong, professional, intelligent and knows what she wants, when she wants it and how she wants it. Gina is the CEO/Owner of Naughty Nights Press, a writer, a mother, and a good friend. We all jokingly refer to her as the Bosslady, but it is a term of endearment. This is one woman who will give everything she has to something she is passionate about. She has one of the highest levels of commitment I have seen in anyone. This company is only six months old and most of the feedback any of us have received has been positive. She is doing really well as the captain of this ship, and I am excited to see just where she steers us: Success! 
Pablo Michaels: A wonderful writer, and a loving friend. He has so much going on in his life and yet he still tries to keep up with his friends. Pablo gives so much, and I am honoured to know this man. He was one of the first people to sign up for The Twelve Days of Naughty Giveaways, and one of the first participants to submit his Naughty Shorty, a beautifully naughty tale involved the Greek Gods and Demigods. His participation in Six Sentence Sundays paved the way to my willingness to start reading m/m, and I am so thrilled that I had the opportunity to read from him. Pablo always has something nice to say and is ever encouraging. He has got a lovely way of writing that warms the heart and opens eyes. I can not wait until he starts writing again. 

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Brenda Woody and Steve Tindle: Another couple of authors, these two write books together. It is quite wonderful the way they work together to produce such fantastic writing. I had the pleasure of reviewing them a few months back, and was delighted when Brenda nominated me for Xcite Books awards for Best Reviewer. I didn't make the final six, but it truly is an honour to be nominated. I know, only losers say that. That's far from the truth. To be nominated goes to show that there are people out there who recognise your work and appreciate the time you take. I am so touched to have been nominated by Brenda. I also have to admit it comes in handy having the two of them as friends, because if I ask one a question and they aren't sure, they work together to get an answer. It's brilliant and another inspiration.


There are so many other people I would love to mention, but I don't want to bore everyone. I just wanted to say thank you to all those who have, in one way or another, helped me strive towards success. This time last year I was struggling to write. Now, I have my first accepted work, two follow up novellas, a short story just written, two full sized novels started and an idea for my own compilation. With so much success surrounding us all and so much encouragement from others, may 2012 be our year! 

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To everyone wanting to achieve something, surround yourself with wonderful people who are revelling in their own success and celebrate with them. That positive energy will then reward you with your own celebrations. The Universe rewards positivity, and we must all strive to shake off negativity. If someone is doubting you when you know that you will succeed, ignore the doubting. If you make a mistake, that's just life. Shake it off and keep on going. And when you're feeling down, crank up some inspirational music like Katy Perry's Fireworks or Blue Lagoon's Break My Stride, and dance like crazy. Absorb the positive messages and use it in your life! You'll be amazed at how much things will change for the better!
And to all the doubters out there, stand aside and let us pass. As someone once said "The one who says 'It cannot be done' should never interrupt the one who is doing it."