Happy New Year everyone!

I can’t believe another year is ending. On a professional note, 2013 was a banner year for me. I published my third novel, Blogger Girl, in late August and, so far, readers have embraced it. My debut novel, Just Friends with Benefits, was re-released by Booktrope and, much to my surprise, is my best seller. Since it was re-released in September, I’ve sold several thousand copies compared to the several hundred I sold in the entire three years before that. Blows my mind—in a good way! My sophomore novel, A State of Jane, continues to do well and, finally, I am making very good progress on my fourth novel and hope to have it ready for publication in late 2014 or early 2015. Together with Francine LaSala and Samantha Stroh Bailey, I co-founded BookBuzz, a meet and greet for authors and readers, and we’ve already held two events—one in New York City and one in Toronto— and I met so many amazing authors, bloggers and, of course, readers. I can’t wait until the next event.

 On a personal level, it was a tough year for me. I split with my boyfriend of 1.5 years in February; my sister’s dog, Gypsy, passed away in the spring; one of my best friends (someone I think of as the younger sister I never had) moved across the country and while I supported her reasons for going, I miss her dearly;  and finally, one of my best friends in the entire world—my rock, my “work husband”, my comic relief, my sometimes therapist and really, the best man I know— was diagnosed with Leukemia in July and continues to undergo treatments to save his life— treatments that will continue through much of 2014. I know in my heart he will be okay, but I hate that he has to go through this, and I constantly find myself asking “Why him?”

But it’s not all bad! I thank God for all of the blessings in my life— my family, my friends (you know who you are), my day job, my health, my writing and my good looks (haha just making sure you’re still listening) to get me through the darker times and maintain a positive outlook.

I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions but I think I am going to take a page (or several hundred) out of my books. My characters make mistakes; they sometimes have poor judgment. Let’s just say, they fuck up. A lot. And so have I. But my characters always learn from their mistakes and come out on the other side a little bit wiser and a lot happier. That’s all I really want. If I am going to look back at my mistakes, I want it to be because I am learning from them; not because I am kicking my ass over making them in the first place. Like my characters, I want to take risks— even those that put my ego on the line or scare me. Especially those that scare me. Some will pan out and others won’t but a wise man once told me that it is the things we don’t do that we regret the most.  Not even trying is worse than giving it your all and failing.

To paraphrase a line from one of my books: It might take me several rounds of edits, but I’m a writer and I’m going to write my own happy ending.

Happy New Year and God bless you all 🙂