Last weekend some colleagues and I ran relay in the Detroit Freepress Marathon. We had a blast. As daunting as a marathon may seem, you just can't beat the adrenaline rush that comes with it. I saw the best in people during this event.

Before this weekend, I was telling my friend "This is my last one. Running is just not my thing." Now, my colleagues and I are already talking about doing it again next year and pushing even further by running a longer distance. 

This is all due to the incredible atmosphere that comes with an event like this. Thousands of people come together to help raise money to help others in need. This particular event raises money to help several charities, from cancer research to helping orphans, and so much more. I was surprises by the list.

I met amazing people during the weekend and despite the fact that we did not know one another, we were all there with a common goal. One would think that competitiveness would be the energy that transpired during a marathon. It is the complete opposite. Participants are friendly. 

The support was expressed from all angles. No one hesitated to help when possible. The more experienced runners offered useful advise or guidance to the less experienced runners. Everyone wished each other the best of luck and much encouragement. It was beautiful to see such solidarity.

The morning of the marathon downtown Detroit was bustling with tens of thousands of people. The energy was high despite the early hour. As the morning progressed and the runners made it to the finish line, cheers were heard for each and every runner. I remember thinking, "this is what life is truly about." Seeing all these people come together, work together (volunteers, participants, supporters) towards a good cause. A marathon really brings out the best in people.

Funny how things come to us when we are ready. I have been battling with the decision whether to approach traditional publishers first and if that does not work then look at self-publishing again. 

Approaching traditional publishers is very time consuming and full of rejection letters. Self-publishing, well, does not come with a publicity campaign and much exposure unless you pay big bucks. This process can become either very depressing or very costly. Hence, my giving into my fears. Either way, publishing can become emotionally challenging.

Last week, I made a pleasant discovery. Despite my not being very active on my website in the last few years, DNA is still being read and not just by family and friends. I am so grateful and this has led me to the discovery of new options for my novels, which are just waiting to be published and it also gave me the push I need to get a move on. 

I decided to pursue the self-publishing route at this time because it will allow my novels to get published much faster. Of course, even this process will take several months to materialize my novels. There is still a lot of work involved, such as editing, cover design, formatting, etc.

I am excited and I can't wait to publish the manuscripts that have been collecting cyber- dust over the last few years. This time I am determined not to let other life factors get in the way and push past my fears. I hope you will join me on this journey.

I will keep you posted of the development of each novel as it moves forward. I hope you are as excited as I am. Here we go!

It's easy to make excuses, especially when we are haunted by fears of failure. As a writer, this is something I have to overcome every day. Rejection letters come more often than contract requests. An artist's life is like a roller-coaster. Therefore, I need to constantly give myself pep talks to help myself move forward. 

In 2009, I was doing book signings in local bookstores and I was highly motivated to not let the next book take as long as the first one. I even participated in the Nanowrimo challenge that November. And, yes, I succeeded in writing a draft of a novel within those 30 days. I was quite proud of myself and I was determined to give my career as a novelist all I got. 

What happened? A phone call. This phone call changed my life forever and changed my plans for the near future. This phone call became the adventure that would become the adoption of my two little boys. Two weeks later I was caring for a new born and getting to know his 18 month old brother. I don't think I need to tell you that my time became theirs. I spent the next four years mainly taking care of them.

Now, that they are older I am able to do other things such as write. My biggest challenge at the moment is not letting anything else distract me from my plans. I have two drafts (including the one written in November of 2009) I must polish before it can be presented to any publishing house. And I also plan to participate in the Nanowrimo contest again this year. That experience was quite uplifting and I am hoping it will give me a push into the good habit of writing daily.

I hope you will follow me on this new quest.

I've been meaning to reach out to all of you for the longest time, but everytime I begin my set-up and preparation something happens to take my attention away from doing what I love most; writing and sharing with you.

The last several years were occupied by my small children. They still keep me busy, but they are becoming a little more independent, allowing me to make time for other projects.

My life has gone through many changes in the last three years. I will not go into details, but lets just say that every department of my life has gone through a major overhall. Finally, I feel like myself again and able to share some experiences with you that I hope can help you get through the defficult days, as well as entertain you and let you get to know me.

Some of the recent distractions that took me away from the tweaking of my website was writing some French blogs for a collaborative franco-ontarien website and for TFO. I really enjoyed this experience. It helped me get some of that self-confidence I needed to move forward with completing and publising some of the changes for this website.

Like many of you, I am sure, I have a very full schedule. My goal is to focus more and the things that are more important to me and that make me happy. I hope you will join me on this journey, as I reach out to you and complete the two manuscripts of the next two books I hope to publish in the very near future.

​Neroli
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