Happy New Year!
Welp, it’s that time again. A new year.
HOW THE HELL DID 2016 GO BY SO FAST? Am I right?
A lot of shitty things happened this year—trust me, I know that. It was the most stressful year of my life; personally and ‘professionally.’← I can’t take that word seriously because while I consider my writing a career (my career), it doesn’t feel real. Taking it dark again: shit happened. The whole point of this is not to focus on the bad parts of the last 52 weeks, but on the great/amazing/wonderful/dream-come-true things that happened.
There’s enough negative things in the world. Let me share my joys with you.
In 2016, my writing gave to me… one #1 bestselling book on Amazon (Winnipeg) and one #2 bestselling book on Amazon (Wait for It). ME. Also, my author rank reached #7 and I was squished between Dr. Seuss and Stephen King. HELP. In what universe would I ever dream something like those things could be possible?
In none.
In 2016, my writing gave to me… the opportunity to travel to Scotland and Sydney to do book signings. And at these book signings, people actually came. I had lines, guys. LINES. If you think it doesn’t sound real, trust me when I tell you it didn’t feel real. I also got to do a signing in Denver, but Australia! Scotland! Places I thought I would visit on vacation someday, maybe, if I was lucky. The fact I got to take my parents to Sydney and Chris to Scotland as my ASSISTANTS just made the whole experience that much sweeter.
In 2016, my writing gave to me… book translation deals! In German! Hungarian! French!
In 2016, Eloisa James read my books and when my friend met her, she signed a book for me that said I was a great writer and that she couldn’t wait for #6. I am a huge fan of badass women and if you’ve ever read any interview or article with Eloisa, you know she’s someone to look up to. (If you’re wondering the book is propped up on the corner of my desk.)
Some honorable mentions for this year also include me buying a new house, getting invited to do RT panels even though I can’t attend, finally dyeing my hair a fun color, and getting to go back home to Texas to visit my family more often than the year before.
All these things mean so much to me. I honestly couldn’t be more happy or grateful about it. I always tell Chris, “who would’ve known?”
With the new year rolling up, and considering I don’t do resolutions because they psych me out, my goals for next year: write and release two new books, improve on my terrible social media reach (I’m already working on Twitter), set aside more time for emails and blog posts, spend more quality time with Chris and the boys (I’m a workaholic and the love of my life, my Dorian, is turning 7), and stress less about the things I have no control of.
So, as we go into 2017, I wish you all the absolute best. Follow your dreams, be brave, and don’t be too afraid to fail. Thank you for all of your love and support!
Happy New Year, guys!
Mariana