Many New Year!

In the spirit of welcoming a new year and saying goodbye to 2010, I want to thank everyone who has played a big part in my writing life over the last year.  I can now say that I have spent an entire year writing Bring Me Back, although to be more precise, it’s more like fourteen months.  I learned a lot about myself over the course of 2010—about what I’m capable of and how writing plays into that.

Warning:  this is going to sound like chicken soup, but I’m going to say it anyway.  When I write, I feel like myself.  It doesn’t always make me happy or feel like I’m perfectly fulfilled and it certainly doesn’t mean that my problems go away.  I’m just me, at least for a little while.  I suggest fostering this in yourself whenever possible.

Thanks to my husband, Steve, for unconditionally supporting me even when he has no idea what I’m doing or why I’m doing it.

Thanks to Sara, my cheerleader, for reading dozens and dozens of revisions and always “getting” what I’m going for.

Thanks to Karen, my writing critique partner, who isn’t afraid to tell me when something sucks and is happy to watch me tear it apart and put it back together.

Thanks to friends who pushed me to get better—Bill Williams, Sam Stephenson, Laurie Cochenour, Sarah Dessen, and Heather Ross.

Thanks to friends who went above and beyond to help and encourage—Jane Greathouse, Maura Partrick, Jennifer Resnick, Jared Resnick, John Strohm, and Jay Faires.

And thanks to all of my early readers—Karrie Adamany, Angie Mack, Lisa Kaylie, Evette Horton, Christie Oppliger, Mairead Maloney Eastin, Melissa Cain, Amy Barefoot, Smudge, Jill Mango, Sarah Austin, Ashley Mattison, Fran Wittman, Monica Shelton, Annette Alicea, Jane Sangster, and Diane Tameecha.  Love you guys!