It is 2013 and we are SO excited. Pardon us while we scream/squeal/pass out at inappropriate times.
This is our debut year! Because of this, a couple of things will be changing around here. We'll still be doing truth or dares on Fridays, and we'll still have special guest posts here and there.
But that's not all.
Now we will be adding celebration launch posts because our books will be coming out! And the first of our books to debut, Prophecy by Ellen Oh, will be coming out tomorrow(and I hear it's already been seen out in the wild)!
IT IS HAPPENING!
Oh...apparently I've reached my exclamation point quota for the day. I'll try to rein it in.
Anyway, to start 2013 off on the right foot. We've all come up with a Truth or Dare based resolution for the new year. What are thirteen authors like us resolving to do during our debut year? Let us tell you. I'll start with mine:
Friday the Thirteener Resolutions for 2013
J.R. Johansson: I dare myself not to let the new responsibilities of the upcoming year--reviews, marketing, conferences & the insecurities/problems that come with them--interfere with me striving to always improve my skill. In other words, I won't let publication get in the way of my writing. :-)
Natalie Whipple: I want to be more confident in my writing, to have fun with it, and to stay true to the stories that speak to me. I've spent too much time in the past wishing my writing was more like someone else's--this year I want to be proud of how and what I write.
Brandy Colbert: I'd like to practice more patience and focus on the "now" instead of the future. It's true that publishing is a long process and full of unexpected bumps along the way, but I'll only be a debut author once and taking time to appreciate all the little steps along the way will make for a much more enjoyable process overall.
Mindy McGinnis: I dare myself to not respond to negative reviews at all - as in zero interaction. The truth is that it will only make me look bad in the end, no matter what I say or how I compose myself. So in other words, I dare myself to be non-confrontational. This should be interesting.
Erin Bowman: I dare myself to avoid reading reviews as much as possible in 2013. So far I've found that reviews (glowing, negative, luke-warm--it doesn't matter), all seem to mess with my writing mojo. I write best when I'm stress-free and my muse, inspired. And I want 2013 to be about the writing. ;)
Ellen Oh: I dare myself not to eat an entire box of Krispy Kreme donuts in one sitting. And I promise to tell the truth when my kids ask me who ate the last donut.
Kasie West: I hope to stay true to myself and who I am, to remember the people who helped me fulfill my dreams and supported me every step of the way, and not to get caught up in all the crazy that can come along with this publishing business. (Also, I want to eat Ellen's entire box of donuts so she has someone to blame. Yes, I would make this extreme sacrifice for her.)
Renee Collins: I dare myself not to compare my journey to anyone else's. I want to savor (yes, savor) every moment of this journey for exactly what it is, nothing more, nothing less.
Megan Shepherd: I dare myself to step away from the computer more; go outside, hang out with friends, work out, remember there's a world outside of Writing. I love what I do, and I love the online community, but I want to try for a little more balance in 2013.
Shannon Messenger: My goal for 2013 is to be true to myself when it comes to my writing schedule. I want to be honest with myself and take breaks when I need them, but I would also love to get in the habit of writing for at least one hour every day. And I dare myself to learn how to write from my plane or my hotel room when I'm traveling*. (*goals MIGHT be influenced by how very behind I am on my current deadline.)
Elsie Chapman: My goal for 2013 is to try to find more balance in my writing schedule. to truly believe it's okay to take nights off, and to not let the little things get to me. And to always remember how lucky I am to be doing this in the first place!
Alexandra Duncan: My resolution for 2013 is to stay professional and true to myself, even when I read negative reviews or stumble across internet trolls.
April Tucholke: I'm daring myself to stay in one place for more than a year. I'm going to stifle all my roamer tendencies and try to settle. I'm also daring myself to spend an hour outside each and every day, and to read for an hour each and every day. No excuses.
So, what about you? What are you resolving to do differently in 2013? Do you dare to tell us the truth? :)
And don't forget to check back tomorrow as we celebrate the release of Prophecy! (Sorry, had to go over the quota for that one. It was necessary.)
____________________________________
J.R. Johansson loves reading, playing board games and sitting in her hot tub. Her dream is that someday she can do all three at the same time. She is a YA thriller author represented by Kathleen Rushall of Marsal Lyon Literary Agency. Her debut novel, INSOMNIA, is due to be released June 8, 2013 with Flux. You can find her on twitter, goodreads, her website, or her
Congrats to you all! It will be an awesome year. I will check back to see how Mindy and Eric do with the whole review avoidance dare!
ReplyDeleteI seriously loved all the resolutions from everyone else. You are some smart people. I plan to adopt most of yours as well as my own for this year. :)
ReplyDeleteI want all these resolutions as my own. I really really need to stop reading reviews. lol
ReplyDeleteI get the feeling I should just print out this page and look at these every day. Good stuff, ladies.
ReplyDeleteThis is so cool to see everyone's resolutions in one place. It's very happy making to see so much positivity. (Which isn't really a word but I don't care.) :)
ReplyDeleteBrandy, gotta agree with you. I think I need these hanging behind my computer as reminder throughout the year. Happy 2013 all! :D
ReplyDelete"IT IS HAPPENING!"
ReplyDeleteYES IT IS!!! :)
I think this post was a great idea! Now we all know what you ladies are trying to accomplish this year, and we can giggle as you do! :D
And YAY ELLEN!!!!!!! I might be able to come to your launch party on Jan. 6th!!!! <3
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