Wednesday, December 31, 2008

My end of the year thank you...

Fans of MEG, fans of VEE, readers who've sent me emails and posted on my MySpace and Facebook pages, blog followers, friends...I feel very lucky to be a writer in an age when there can be immediate feedback between reader and author.

This year has been one of unbelievable highs (2 books published in April!) and super-duper lows (let's not get into that). I finished 3 brand new manuscripts, rewrote another, met some amazing editors I'd love to work with - and also watched as publishing crumbled into a giant heap with lots of terrific people losing their jobs.

You win some, you lose some. But I'm not going to dwell on the negative and instead will concentrate on the good stuff:

--I took 2 trips to the east coast for 2 reunions and several school and library visits, sold out at the Borders in Farmington where I was reading, spoke at book fairs and conferences, and did 2 local television appearances.

--I started teaching ballet again in March and now have 7 classes of my own and a whole bunch of students whom I adore! I've also been fortunate to find a new teacher to take classes with and to learn from - and who can inspire me so I can inspire others.

--Through the magic of the interweb, I've met some fantastic authors who have since become friends. Lots of great YA writers - and some adult writers too - live in and around LA and I am so honored to know them. Go LAYAs!

--LOVE, MEG was included on the 2008 Kansas Education Association Recommended book list for High Schools as well as the 2009 California Collection for the State of California's High Schools.

Good, bad, high, low, up down...life is a series of adventures, not an end to itself.

Happy New Year to all, including the many wonderful reviewers and readers who've been so terrifically supportive of me this year like, Teen Book Review's Jocelyn, In Bed With Books' Liviania, The Book Muncher's Rachael, The Page Flipper's Chelsea, the lovely ladies at YA Fresh, Harmony Book Reviews' Harmony, Jessica at Teen Free Book Friday, Holly at Woman Tribune, Khyrnithia at Frenetic Reader, Bloomacious, Rachel at My Very Own Blogetary, not to mention all the amazing people who posted comments and reviews of my books at Goodreads, Amazon, Barnes & Noble.com, and their own sites.

Thank you.