by Kate

As many of you will know, I’m born and raised Canadian, and even though I’ve been living in Australia for over a decade, there are some things I can’t give up.

Like a holiday based almost entirely around food.

Canadian Thanksgiving doesn’t have anything to do with pilgrims – it has its origins in a celebration of the harvest. Pumpkins are the last vegetable in the garden to ripen, and they need a frost. The first frost generally happens near the beginning of October, and then it’s time to give thanks by eating all the food.

Now some of you may know that last weekend I had other, more genre-riffic things to do, but don’t worry. This weekend, we’re hauling out the pumpkin pie and getting down, Canadian-style.

In the meantime, I thought I’d do a bit of thanks-giving of my own here, today. It’s been almost a year since we went public with Escape, and there’s a bit to say.

First, I’m thankful that I get to read romance novels for a living. In no five-year-plan ever did I think that this was a possibility, so I’m incredibly grateful to be where I am and doing what I’m doing.

Next, I’m thankful for the community that has been built up through Escape – my colleagues, the amazing Escape Artists,the agents that we work with, the publishing community in Australia and overseas.

I’m thankful for the readers who gave us a try and let us know what they thought, and the reviewers and bloggers who let us know what we were doing that worked and what we needed to get on with. I’m thankful for the tweets and the pins and the Facebook messages. I’m thankful for reader engagement.

I’m thankful to our amazing cover designer, because, man. Have you seen our covers? They’re awesome!

I’m thankful to the romance community because it is seriously the most awesome community in publishing. There’s no other community as open and giving and generous and fun, and I’m thankful everyday to call it my tribe.

I’m thankful for romance novels, with their happy endings and naked covers that hide the heart and soul of the human experience and teach us that every man can be a hero and every woman can kick a little ass.

I’m also thankful for the hot sex in romance novels, because, really, who isn’t?

Finally, I’m thankful for books. And the people who read them. For being a reader and knowing readers and getting to talk about books to readers.

And for the serious amount of food that I’m going to consume with my family and friends this weekend and for the laughs and the fun and the recognition that sometimes life is pretty darned good.

Hope you have lots to be thankful for too.