SFPB Sans Serif: A Look Back at 2020

This year is practically a wrap. And what a year it was! The COVID-19 pandemic continues to leave its mark on the nation and the world. And then there’s: the presidential election, the economic crisis, numerous environmental issues, and the social-justice challenges that—

You know what? That’s all a bit too ‘serif’ for me. A nicer, calmer redirect is needed.

Now, in 2020, in the world of S.F. Powell Books, everything was much more ‘sans serif.’ Some highlights:

Early to Mid-Year

1. Release of Broken Benevolence. Released just before Christmas 2019, 2020 rolled in with the excitement of book 3 continuing the Dr. Naomi Alexander series. It’s a story centering around trauma counseling and domestic abuse. Much longer than books 1 and 2, Broken Benevolence covers a lot of ground. A work I’m pretty proud of.
2. Launch of Tranquill at Twilight. I launched my newsletter in the spring of 2020, wanting to give fans an inside look at the series they enjoy and the characters they love and follow. There’s informative content non-series related in my newsletter, but Tranquill at Twilight also delves into exploration of the themes, characters, music, and other hidden gems of the series. I talk about my writing life, too, giving fans a behind-the-scenes look at how it all comes together.
3. Finalist for RSJ Emma Award 2020. On a whim, I submitted Broken Benevolence for consideration and was surprised to receive notification it was a finalist! Because I wasn’t expecting to even place, getting the nod as a contest finalist ranked as a major confidence booster. Yay, SFPB! I now see what actors mean when they say: “It was an honor being nominated.”

Winding Down the Year

1. Start of Book Four. With November being Novel Writing Month, the official pen-to-paper action of starting book four began! There’s a lot of ‘writing’ happening before the actual writing that brings a story to life, and its commencement is an achievement in and of itself; something only other writers fully understand.
2. Launch of the DNA Book Series Facebook group. Okay, so, getting feedback here and there from readers through differing platforms, I decided to centralize things a bit. I recently started the FB group devoted to all things Dr. Naomi Alexander Book Series. Posts, discussion, laughs, contests, character and series insights: it should be a blast.

Until next year, Happy Holidays, Happy New Year. Here’s hoping 2021 is very much on the positive uptick.

As always …