There are days I ask myself why…

I mean, I could go back to school, get all the fancy letters after my name I need to get the higher paying nursing jobs I need to secure a better paying nursing job, which would secure a better paying life for my kids. A better life for my kids is, in the end, my reason for…well, just about everything.  Forget being read, forget being rich, forget anything and everything else…if my kids are getting more than I had, if they are happy and healthy and secure and they know their parents love them, I’m satisfied.  A BSN in nursing, or even further…going for my masters, working for toward being a nurse practioner?  Hey, I could do that.

I wouldn’t have to worry about people stealing away the work I spend my days working on, working damn hard, too.  I wouldn’t have to hassle with the edits, or the beta readers or the promo, or the cover artist forms, or the contracts or the agents, or spliting the money, or the taxes, or the million and one other little things I never even thought of when I decided to try to get published.

I’d just be a nurse…and I was a good one.  I still am.

There’s no reason I couldn’t be a better paid one, it would provide for my kids, and I could probably even have better insurance… *G*

But here’s one reason.

Readers like Aztec Lady and Karen.  Readers like Shell.  Readers like Mary G and Amy who posted this awesome picture on twitter:

Readers like the awesome lady who emailed me about finding me in her local library…and the very nice reader who emailed me asking if I’d be getting any books released in audio format.  Readers like those on paperback swap who discovered me there and then went on to purchase my backlist.

People like you are the reason I keep doing it.  Some are reviewers.  Some find me in libraries and some discovered me in ebook way back at EC and followed me straight through to here.  Others buy me new brand new, plus two more copies to share with siblings.   One thing all of you seem to share in common though?  You all to understand one thing… writing is hard.  It’s not something I do on a whim and it’s not something I do just ‘get read’.  It’s hard, it’s my job, and you respect that… and for that, I thank you and I appreciate the hell out of you.

And you’re one major part of the reason I do this.

You may not all end up with a book dedication out there, but if you’re a true lover of books and you truly understand how much time and work goes into creating a book, whether it’s in a dedication or not, you’re part of the reason I’m doing it.  Because if it wasn’t for those out there are willing to get the books legally?  Through libraries, through paying for them, etc?

Well… the books wouldn’t be there.