2017, Here I Come!

Happy New Year!

This is going to be a great year.

I know a lot of people are angry with 2016 and blame the year for a lot. To which I say, it's a year, a measurement of time, not an entity with malevolent purposes. That said, I have a hard time not assigning smiling happy feelings to 2017.

New years always give me a new hope for the future. It's hard not to get swept up in the hype of "new year, new you" and the feelings that whatever may have come before, the new year is a blank page, full of potential. And this year feels extra special to me.

Why?

THIS IS THE YEAR MY DREAM IS REALIZED!

This is 2017, the year my first book comes out. (If you want to find out more about Under Locker and Key, you can check it out at Amazon or Goodreads.)

This is the year I become a published author. I feel the same thrill and sense of anticipation I feel at the start of a vacation or when an exciting ride at an amusement park starts. One of the good ones, not one of the ones I think might kill me.

It's hard to believe that I'm almost there, almost at the moment when I'll see Under Locker and Key finally released. I don't know if it will feel real when it happens. I'm less than 4 months out; wow, where did the time go?

I'm sure the other 2017 debut writers are feeling the same way. Here are some of the ones who are now and in this week celebrating their publication:

Middle Grade:
Kiersi Burkhart - Quartz Creek Ranch (1/1)
Dana Langer - Siren Sisters (1/3)

Young Adult:
Chelsea Sedoti - The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett (1/3)
Just so you know, I'm probably going to make a habit of putting a list like this at the end of my blog posts for the coming year, and I may even interview some of the other writers. If you're interested in any of these books, please check them out on Amazon or Goodreads. I'm sure the writers would love it!

I'm starting 2017 out right as an almost-published writer. I have a school visit at Lionville Elementary School (in PA) on Wednesday. I like school visits; I love interacting with kids and I love talking about writing, so it's a win-win.

I also just received edits for my second book, so I am working on that, as well. I'm also going to be working on my other project (remember the three pictures I posted recently?) and finishing that for my writing group. 2017 is going to see me doing a LOT of writing and writing-related activities.

But I guess that's to be expected, as I grow into the writing career. 2017, here I come!