2013 - A Year of Firsts

2013 was an amazing year – my debut year, one full of firsts, fears, and felicity.

In January, I revealed the cover for my debut novel, Reclaimed. I was so pleased with how it turned out, and the entire experience was surreal. That is another thing 2013 was – completely surreal.

The book went up for pre-order in March. Seeing my name on Barnes and Noble and Amazon was strange, like that person was completely separate from the one I am.

In May I had another first when I flew to NYC to attend BEA. Signings posters was incredible, as was getting to meet authors I admire, but the best part about BEA was getting to hang with all of the friends I’d met online. I can’t wait until we’re all in the same city again. Shenanigans!

In June I learned that Reclaimed had received two blurbs from authors I admire (Tiffany Schmidt and Mindi Scott). There was much jumping and squealing. Again, the idea that people whose writing I love also love mine was (and still is) so hard to grasp.

Kirkus gave Reclaimed a lovely review in July. I’m still not sure I believe that one.

August and September were ridiculously busy getting ready for Reclaimed’s release. I’m so grateful for my editor, my publicity team, and the Reading with Me girls.

October. My favorite month. The month Reclaimed begins. My birthday. Falling leaves and cooler temps and magic. And the release of my debut. It was a magical month indeed, full of author events and Twitter support and live chats. I saw my book on bookstore shelves. Finally, after three years, the characters I loved now no longer belonged only to me. It was so gratifying and humbling to hear that readers loved them too.

December has been a pretty exciting month as well, for reasons. J

 

The one regret I have this year is that I didn’t read as many books. I normally average around 100 books a year. Last year was my lowest at 62. This year was so busy that I read fewer than 50. But I read some great ones. Here are just a few of my favorites:

Eleanor and Park and Fangirl, both by Rainbow Rowell (This was the year I fell in love with Rainbow Rowell.)

Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare (I read this in March. I’ll re-read when/if I ever recover from it.)

 

Vicious by V.E. Schwab (And did you hear the movie news?)

The Dream Thieves by Maggie Stiefvater (I loved The Raven Boys, but I think I liked this one even better.)

Sweethearts by Sara Zarr (I love everything she writes.)

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau Banks by E. Lockhart (I know, I’m kicking myself for taking so long to find this one.)

 

2013 was a truly phenomenal year, and though I may be a bit sad to see it go, I am super excited about what 2014 will bring. There are so many great books just waiting to be discovered, and so many others that I’ve been waiting what seems like forever to read. My own writing is going well, and I have plenty to keep me busy in 2014. I’ll run my seventh marathon in February. I have exciting things planned for March. And I may just finally get to take that trip to England I’ve been dreaming about since I was in high school.

Thanks for coming along for the ride. Can’t wait to see where this road takes us.

BEA in Pictures

I know this BEA post is late, but that's because it took me a week to recover! New York City was amazing, but I came home exhausted. And excited. And already making plans for next year.

 

 

This is me on Wednesday. See how happy I am? That's because I am holding an ARC of RECLAIMED for the first time. It was surreal. And it made me forget the honking, screaming, f-bomb screeching experience of trying to catch a cab at La Guardia.

 

So I didn't take a lot of pictures, but most of the ones I took are of buildings. Being married to a builder does that. This is the Jefferson Market Library, where the Teen Author Carnival was held. It is a gorgeous place, and I really enjoyed the panels.

 

 

 

The lovely Dahlia took me for my first ever macaron. It was glorious.

 

 

 

 

On Thursday night I had dinner with all my Twitter friends, who are even better in real life.

 

 

I did my first ever author signing on Friday. I was a little nervous as the time neared, but once it started, I was too busy to remember nerves. I signed gorgeous posters of RECLAIMED, and two lucky winners received ARCS. I also got to meet the lovely Virginia, Steph, and Trisha Leigh, among others. Chatting with my Twitter friends was seriously the highlight of my trip.

 

 

This is the post office. Seriously. I had to mail all of the books I picked up at BEA, and I was looking for a little blue sign, hoping I didn't walk past it. Yeah, this building isn't exactly subtle.

 

This is my fabulous editor Danielle. She is the reason RECLAIMED will be out in October, after having found it during WriteonCon. She is even more amazing in person. There were lots of hugs.

 

 

And giggles. I probably laughed more on this trip than I do in a normal month. Megan kept me in stitches and high fives the entire time, and the adventurous Kelsey flew in for 24 hours. Seriously. She is that awesome.

Saturday night was spent in the company of amazing friends and show tunes. The lovely Jessica took us to a bar where we sang (well, they sang, I croaked) songs from Les Mis, My Fair Lady (Megan's cockney accent is sublime), and Sound of Music. If you ever want to feel inadequate, sit between Kelsey and Jessica while they are singing. Seriously.

 

 

 

 

 

I spent my last day in Brooklyn, eating pumpkin pancakes and enjoying Prospect Park.

 

And the books. I wish I could curl up in my office and not come out until school starts in August.

 

 

 

But more than the places I saw or the books I grabbed, BEA was a wonderful trip because of all the people I met, laughed with, and hugged.

And the macarons. The macarons were pretty great.  

 

 



 

 

BEA 2013 Schedule

BEA is this month, and I couldn't be more excited. I've never been to BEA or NYC before, so there will be a lot of firsts. The first time meeting my editors and writing friends in real life. My first macaroon. And my first signing.

On Friday from 3:30-4:30 PM, I'll be signing Reclaimed posters at the Spencer Hill booth (#2567), and I may have an ARC to give away. (Which means in a couple of weeks I will be able to hold Reclaimed in my hands!)

I need a moment.


Whew. Okay. Here's the full Spencer Hill schedule. If you're going to be at BEA, swing by the booth on Friday, snag a Reclaimed poster, and maybe, just maybe, be one of the first to get an ARC. If you can pry the precious from my fingers.

Books, BEA, and RECLAIMED, oh my: Why 2013 is Going to be Amazing

1. Books: The great thing about a new year is all the new books I’ll get a chance to read. While I love re-reading my favorites (I’m planning on re-reading The Hounds of the Morrigan, my absolute favorite book from elementary school, which I haven’t read in years), diving into a new book is like stepping into a whole other universe. It’s exhilarating and a little terrifying because you have no idea who you’ll be by the time you finish reading it. The great books change us in both large and small ways, and I just want to say thanks in advance to all the authors out there who are going to alter my world just a little this year. I’ve already blogged about some books I’m looking forward to in 2013 here, but here are just a few that have attracted my interest since then.

Altered, by Jenn Rush

Archived, by Victoria Schwab

Camp Boyfriend, by JK Rock

The Dollhouse Asylum, Mary Gray

 

2. BEA: I’ve never been to NYC before. I’m a little intimidated and a whole lot excited. I get to be there promoting Reclaimed, which is even better. I’m going to get to hang out with my editor Danielle Ellison and fellow SHP writer Erica Cameron, as well as various members of the SHP family. We are going to have shenanigans. I may even get to meet Dahl and other Twitter friends who decide if I’m that far north they must come play. So I’ll be in New York City, at BEA, as an author, meeting lots of amazing people. I may need to bring my smelling salts.

 

3. Reclaimed: Guys, I love this book so much. I guess I should, since I wrote it, but my fellow writers know that isn’t always the case. I adore these characters, flaws and all, and I can’t wait to share Jenna, Ian, and Luke with all of you. I’m also terrified. Because this is the year that I let my words out into the world. I’ve nurtured them and swore at them, and now they are ready to be out on their own. I’m so scared. And elated. But most of all, ready.

 

My focus word for the year is BALANCE. I have to do a better job balancing all areas of my life – friends, family, teaching, writing. But I also need to make sure that I take care of myself too. I’m not going to feel guilty when I need to take a day or two off to recharge. This is not a race, and I don’t have to speed through my days by trying to cram too much into each hour. I’m going to read, write, run, dance, laugh, cry, and learn to let myself off the hook. I’m going to succeed and fail this year, in one way or another.  And I’m going to enjoy every damn minute of the ride.