What a New Year Brings

For the past two years on this blog, I've been doing New Year's resolutions, or at least things that I'd like to accomplish in the new year. If you'd like to read my post from last year, you can find it here. It's funny to look back, to see what I hoped to do and then what actually happens just from things falling into place and life happening around me. I would have never dreamed I would quit my job or that my small crochet hobby would turn into what it is now.

I know that 2011 will be a very busy year for my family, as a lot will be going on with work and well, just life. That being said, there are a few things that will be keeping me busy in the next 12 months and beyond.

Here is what I hope to accomplish in 2011:

1. I said it last year and I'll say it again. Man, do I need to get into better shape. I have a Wii Fit, and I need to start using it regularly. I know that's not as good as going to a gym, but at least it gets me moving around and doing something other than sitting on the couch.
2. I want to revise (again) and start querying (again) Lost and Found. I think I can make it so much better and it's a story I love and I think others could love it, too. I don't want to spend too much time going back over it, but I hope in the first 3 months, I can get it to where I want it to be. That way, I can be querying while revising/writing other things.
3. I want to finish Parlor, edited to a polish and start to query by summer, or at least sometime in summer. I'm to the point where the first draft is written, I just need to do the hard part, make it good.
4. I want to complete another first draft. Story still to be decided, but I have a lot of ideas. I just need to figure out which one I want to spend my time with. The first draft I want done by the end of the year.
5. Start a yarn business. That's right, a yarn business. I'm in the process of starting the company right now with logos, working on my business plan, etc. I will be selling hand-dyed yarns and hopefully other handmade items on Etsy/Artfire and my website.
6. Read more books. This year, for some reason (and I'm sure that reason being my crafting), I read WAY less books than normal. I don't have my final count, as I have been lazy filling out my book spreadsheet, but it's down by at least 20 books from the year before I think. That's sad. I have so many great books on my shelves (and on my nook) that just need to be picked up and read.

Well, now you know what I hope to accomplish this year, how about you?

New Year. New Stories. Skinny Jeans.

Tami's post on New Years resolutions was the kick in the butt I needed to get back into my usual writing and workout schedule. The last half of 2009 I was immersed in edits for Under My Skin and establishing all the social networking profiles a newbie author needs to promote their debut novel. Most prominently, my time and effort spent as co-president for the Class of 2K10. Now that the Class has officially launched and most of the initial background / grunt work is over - I simply HAVE to get back into writing and treadmilling it daily. My characters and my thighs won't stand for another day of neglect.

Sure, time will still be a hot commodity considering all the promotional stuff my publisher, publicist and 2k10 have planned, and yeah, I have a full time day job, a husband and two hyper labs to care for...but I also have about four WIPs in various stages of disarray, all demanding their stories be told - and a pair of skinny jeans that haven't been out of the closet for six months.

So here's to 2010. A year of shameless self-promotion, wonderful camaraderie and my skinny jeans - but most importantly - a year of writing and critiquing with the bestest crit group in the world. Tami and Kitty - you rock!!!

Happy New Year, Hello 2010!

Happy New Year everyone! Wow, 2010. To be honest, parts of me feel like 2000 was forever ago, and other parts (maybe my fingers and toes?) feels like it was just yesterday. So much happened for me in the first decade of the 2000's. Some good (I graduated college, got engaged and married, bought a house, started taking writing seriously and my two nieces were born) and some bad (but we won't go into those).

As promised in my last post, I'm going to give my New Year resolutions like I did last year. Also promised in my post last week, I said I would tell you what I loved about each of my favorite books of 2009, but that will have to wait next week.

Before I get into my resolutions, I have exciting news! We hit 30 followers on YAedge this week. As promised, I am going to give a FREE book away to a random person who follows us every time we pass a new increment of 30. So, if you aren't the lucky random winner this time, we just need to get to 60 and you'll have another chance to win!

The book in play this time is:

I will pick the random winner Wednesday, January 7. Check back then to see if you are the lucky one! If you aren't following us yet, be sure to start now! I won't be picking the winner until Wednesday morning so you still have a chance.

Back to my New Year resolutions.

1. Like everyone else seems to say, I need to get back in shape. But this time, I'm not joking. Seriously, I need to lose my vacation and holiday weight.
2. Last year I read 71 books and hoped to read more in 2009. Unfortunately, that didn't happen. I think it didn't help that in 2009 I worked full time throughout the whole year. My grand total for 2009: 56. I will say it again: in 2010 I hope to read more than I did in 2009.
3. Last year I wanted to finish my WIP, Lost and Found. I did finish, as well as edit it. I even shopped it around, getting some interest. In fact, right now, I have a full out to an agency! This year, I'm going to say the same. I want to finish my current WIP (I currently have about 53,000 words and am close to the end), edit it and get it ready to send out to agents. Maybe 2010 will be the year I get an agent! One can hope, right?
4. Be less stressed. I think we can all try and do that with our daily lives. I need to be like a duck in water. Just let everything roll off my back. I hope to be less serious and let more happiness into my life. This is easier said than done, but it can happen. I hope next year, in my year end post, I can say that number 4 from 2010 was accomplished.
5. Save money. This past year (2009), I tried to put a little money away with each paycheck. The way the economy is in the US and even the world, you never know when you will be laid off or your company will faulter. I hope to do the same in 2010.

What are your New Year resolutions?

Eye of the Tiger- A look to the new year

Most people set out at the start of a new year with some kind of resolution. New Year’s Day is for hopes and dreams to seem like they could become reality in the coming year, and they can!

Yesterday I put my 2008 journal on the shelf for good. It was ratty around the edges, holding memories of a roller coaster year. 2008 brought me a layoff from my job that was happily accepted, a book finished and another book start (which is now officially half way written…WOOT), a great critique group, and a new job. Overall, 2008 was a good year. I didn’t hit all of my resolution goals, but feel success in the ones I accomplished.

A start of the new year feels clean as I crack open a new journal, looking at the fresh pages and thinking about how I’d like to see 2009 unfold. I hope to finish Lost and Found, my WIP, by January 31. I want to edit it and submit to at least a handful of agents. I look forward to starting a new book, coming up with new ideas. I would like to beat last year’s number of books read (71), but that may be hard to do. The great thing is, right now, anything seems possible.

What do you plan for the new year?

Going through my database of books read in 2008 (yes, I keep track. I am that big of a nerd), I thought it would be fun to share with you my top 5 favorite YA books I read this year. I won’t put them in order, just the group of 5.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
How to be Bad by E. Lockhart, Sarah Mlynowski and Lauren Myracle
Lock and Key by Sarah Dessen
Paper Towns by John Green
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist by Rachel Cohn and David Levithan

What were your favorite YA books read in 2008?