One Year Later... an orchard full of kindness trees!

Hutterite Diaries is one year old today! This time last year was very exciting, my first box of books had arrived and I was enjoying sharing them with people, and I still do. I was also thinking book launches and looking forward to hearing from readers. You can read some feedback by clicking on Hutterite Diaries Feedback above. I still appreciate reading your reviews, so if you've read my book and have not posted a review on places like Amazon or Goodreads, I'd be delighted if you'd consider doing so. I know we sometimes wonder if people actually read those reviews, or find them helpful. Over the past year many people have told me what they had read about Hutterite Diaries. 

Working on Hutterite Diaries gave me the opportunity to learn a lot about the revising and publishing process. During the past year I learned, and am still learning a lot about the marketing aspect. I've had some wonderful opportunities to share my book, some of which have come unexpectedly: book launches, book talks, presenting at workshops, a radio interview, newspaper and magazine articles, blog interviews, reading to students via interactive television, talking about it on my own blog, Twitter and email.

This coming July, More of Our Canada, a magazine, will feature an article about Hutterite Diaries, in their Showcase section. I'm really looking forward to see how people will respond to that. On June the 2nd there's a mini-conference of Hutterite Educators in Watertown, South Dakota. Unfortunately, I'm not able to attend, but one the organizers, Gwyneth Dean-Witte, someone I've never even met, kindly offered to sell my book. It's all arranged. I ordered the books and Herald Press has sent them, so that they'll be available for the teachers attending to buy. I was truly humbled by this offer and am so grateful for people like Gwyneth! I've a growing list of such kind-hearted people.

Recently I was invited to talk about my book at a literacy workshop in Carmen, Manitoba. After meeting Barb Lepp via Twitter, and inviting her to our school for I-Love-to-Read month, she told me about their upcoming workshop. She also asked me to be sure to bring books along for teachers to buy. Through this event quite a few school libraries in Manitoba have my book on their shelves now. A friend of mine, Noaline Hofer in the Prairie Spirit School Division has also been instrumental in promoting my book in her area. There are some things about this publishing journey that were never in my wildest dreams -- like receiving so much support from teachers and people involved in promoting literacy, Hutterites and non-Hutterites alike. Thank you so much, everybody, for your tremendous support. If there's ever going to be another book, it'll be because of people like you!

I got a heartwarming phone call from a  sweet Hutterite grandma in Alberta, Canada, a few days ago. She was reading my book and wanted me to know how much she enjoyed it. "Dear Linda, you have such a gift of storytelling."

"Where did you get my book," I asked her, after thanking her for taking time to call.

 "I was at our school and saw one of our teachers with it," she replied. "I told him right away that I would love to read it and he kindly lent it to me."

Amelia Earhart once said, 'A single act of kindness throws out roots in all directions, and the roots spring up and make new trees." I recently visited a cherry orchard, which was in full bloom - a magnificent sight! When I think of all the people who have kindly spread the word about Hutterite Diaries over the past year, I envision this orchard in all it's splendor. Indeed, you've helped 'make new trees'.
Thank You! Danke! Merci!