Before I sat down to write this post, I read over my post from last year (REMEMBERING 2015). The similarity between the two years is uncanny. Both were a mixture of good and bad, but isn’t that what Life usually is?
In 2015, I launched a novel (Like a River) and was offered a contract on another (Empty Places). In April, 2016, Empty Places launched and I was offered a contract on Not On Fifth Street (Due out this fall).
I did many more school visits in 2016 than I did in 2015, and I truly enjoy meeting the readers of my work and answering their questions. I received emails from several of my readers, and those are a joy to read. A reader doesn’t have to take time to acknowledge a book, and it is gratifying when they enjoy one enough to let the author know.
I participated in my first book festival in 2015, and I took part in two of them in 2016. I spoke at a Children’s Literature Conference in each year as well.
Just before the end of 2016, I was asked to be a TA at a Highlights Foundation Workshop in 2017. I have attended many of their wonderful workshops over the past 17 years, and I am eager to share what I have learned with another group of writers. The workshop will be the Whole Novel Workshop—Historical Fiction.
I finished 2016 (and began 2017) finalizing the text of Not On Fifth Street. I also began researching and creating characters for new works. The year ahead looks to be an exciting one for my writing life.
In my private life, last year I mentioned the 2015 deaths of a cousin and a writer friend. Unfortunately, that aspect of my life is also similar. In 2016, I lost a sister-in-law, a dear cousin, and a friend who co-owned my favorite book store and who believed I would be published long before it happened. They will be missed long after the rest of 2016 is forgotten.
As we all embark on a new year, I wish a happy 2017 to everyone, and I hope the good parts of your life far outweigh the bad.
