So a couple years ago, right around the time I sold my first novel, I started making a new resolution, one that I've actually kept. I'm a pay it forward kind of girl, so my resoution was to move out of my comfort zone and read at least three new authors and two new to me authors every month. Starting a writing career, particularly in these precarious financial times, is scary and exhilirating and difficult and I want to do my part to help as many new authors as I can. After all, it wasn't that long ago that I was desperate for people to take a chance on my first book.
I'm thrilled to say I kept my resolution again last year and definitely plan to keep it this year. And in case you're wondering, I've read a lot of great new books that I might not have otherwise picked up. Books like Stephanie Perkins's Anna and the French Kiss. Or Red Garnier's The Satin Sash. Veronica Roth's Divergent. Addison Fox's Baby, It's Cold Outside. The list goes on and on...
So, how about you? What have you resolved? And, if you've read and loved a new author lately, why not give her a shout out here as well. I'm always looking for someone new to try :) Leave a comment to be entered to win a copy of my February Superromance, From the Beginning. My copies showed up the other day and they are just beautiful :)Also, stop by my blog, www.tracy-deebs.blogspot.com and leave a comment to be entered to win a Kindle Fire as part of my Around the World in 80 Kisses blog tour to promote my new young adult novel, the International Kissing Club by Ivy Adams. It hits the shelves tomorrow (yippee) and I'll be signing it all over Texas in the coming weeks-- so if you live in the Lone Star state, I would love to see you!!!!
Happy New Year everyone. May your 2012 be filled with love and happiness.
22 comments:
Tracy, I do the hand and face cream one too (plus feet) but my resolution barely makes it past the first week of Jan.
I find I'm reading a lot of new authors thanks to sites like smartbitches and dearauthor, in fact I just discovered Julie Ann Long, a wonderful historical author.
I think one of your resolutions should be giving yourself a break on resolutions until the boys are older...raising three and being a prolific writer, I think you're doing fine.
Happy New Year
Karina
Tracy, I love your pay-it-forward resolution. What a great idea! My resolution is ALWAYS to read more. I used to read all the time--until I started writing full-time. I really, really miss it and plan to do more.
And I agree with Karina, your'e doing fine!!!
Deb
Tracy, happy 2012. I don't do New Year Resolutions, it means that I don't set myself up for failure at the beginning of the year!
When I started a new job a few years ago in air conditioned offices, I thought the stress had aged me 10 years, until I discovered that I needed to drink more water and use moisturizer every day. ;-)
I'm not reading enough. I'm going to check out some of the new authors you've been reading.
Toni
Tracy,
Hooray for Pay It Forward. This year i want to spend more time with my family and take more weekend trips.
Happy New Year
I'm sure my husband would hope I read (and buy) fewer books but that ain't gonna happen.
My goals for this year are to write and submit two books. To work on my writing through workshops and writing. I also hope to meet some of my favorite Super Authors at RWA Nationals. I would like to do a better job of balancing my writing with family time and getting more excercise would be nice, too.
Tracy, I'm recycling my resolutions from last year. They're practically new, hardly taken out of the box. :) I never thought about moisturizing as a resolution. Great. Something new to fail at! I do the face but hardly ever the hands.
As for new authors (new to me) a friend lent me a Loretta Chase. Love her books! Also Suzanne Collins' Hunger Games.
Happy New Year everyone!
Tracy ~ I like debut books so I read a lot of new authors in quite a few Harlequin lines. I try to read a least one a month. Last month I read A Deliberate Father by Kate Kelly, a Super Romance. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading more of her stories. I started 2012 off with a debut Special Edition, Made For Marriage by Helen Lacey. I know she has plans for more books and I will be watching for them. I have more debut books in my TBR so reading a debut book a month is a resolution I have kept for a few years now. I'll give a shout out for Vicki Essex whose book I read this past summer and I'll mention Kathleen Pickering and Cathryn Parry whose books are coming this month. 2012 looks like a wonderful year.
Happy New Year everyone!
Hi Tracy,
I'm going to be healthier.
I like your pay it forward resolution! I'm going to read more new and new-to-me authors too.
Happy New Year!
Me too, Tracy. always on a diet until I blow it on deadline. I have tried subbing snacks, setting timers so I'll get up from my chair and move around. Nothing works. The first thing I give up on deadline is exercise, then goes sleep. Then lots of diet soda and munchies start to creep in and before I know it'm packing on the pounds, again :(
I do have a suggestion for the hand cream, though.
Stash it everywhere, bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, naturally. But I also keep tubes within reach of my desk at home and at work. That's when I usually notice my hands. An ache, an itch, whatever, when I look down and think my hands are dry it's right there and because I don't have to go get it I'm more likely to use it.
The dollar store recently had tubes of "Udderly Smooth" and I felt like I hit the jackpot. Love that stuff.
As for new, or at least new to me writers, got a kindle for Christmas and had to check out the free offerings -- found a YA Jessica's guide to Dating on the Darkside and went looking for the sequel before I was even finished :)
FYI, all. We hit the 100K+ pageviews today. Almost exactly a year from our first post.
I don’t usually read historical romance, but last great “find” was Miranda Neville. Wow, I wish more people would write quirky, realistic historical characters.
As for resolutions? Well, we still have another Christmas to go (the Julian calendar puts Christmas on the 7th of January, and it’s observed in Eastern Europe), and I’ve been too busy preparing for that to even consider that it’s 2012! I never stick to resolutions anyway, no matter how hard I try!
Of course, I meant "MY last great find"!
Hi Tracy! I have decided not to make resolutions. Only because I know they are too easily broken. Instead I am just going to focus on three main things. My writing, my cake business and my family. Everything else is just extras.
I love finding new authors and most of the time I find them because other wonderful authors tell me about them. Thats how I got hooked on Jill Shalvis, Jaci Burton, Cassandra Clare and so many others. Who knows maybe this will be the year that I become one of those new authors you all read!
Have a wonderful night!
Ah, resolutions!
I do like to make them. Some I fulfill (usually my writing related ones) and others I leave gasping at the end of January, sure to die a painful death. Usually that's the diet.
But this year, I'm not going to diet or exercise more. I'm going to make a commitment to be healthier...and if I lose weight or get a bit buffer in the process, all the better.
As to writing, I want to constantly challenge myself and grow. So reading new authors is a nice suggestion.
I think your newest looks fantastic, so maybe I'll start there because I don't think I've read one of your YAs.
Oh, Tracy, I *love* your resolution about trying out new authors! What a wonderful way to pay it forward, as you say. Yay, you! I just finished Amanda Usen's debut book, Scrumptious, and it was a true treat. :-) I also read for the first time this year Robyn Carr, Catherine Mann, Cara Elliott and Grace Burrowes and they're all on my must-read list now. Exercise is on my list too, as well as eating less processed food. Ooh--and maybe making it to my first RWA conference. Happy New Year!
So where and when will you be in Texas??? I would love to come meet you but Texas covers a large area!!!!
Never mind I found the list on your website and the closest you come to me is still a 3-4 hour drive.
I'm thinking it's too far from here to Texas, but I wish you well for your tour.
I'm a bit leery of resolutions. Most of mine in the past have been totally unrealistic.
Hau'oli makahiki hou e Tracy :)Don't do New Year's resolutions as I would never be able to keep them. I love trying new authors (or new to me authors). I've found a few by reading blogs here and on ehar. Also found some through Barnes and Noble. I found Anne Gracie through a book I bought at B&N. She writes historicals that I've found very interesting. I like Julie Ann Long also. I heard about Liz Talley through the super blog on ehar :) I've read everyone of her books so far. I like to try new authors and have found that now I'm buying more ebooks, I'm reading a lot more new authors (and new to me). Amazon and B&N let you download samples of books. So much better than reading the back blurb and the front piece! I've read samples and ended up buying a lot more books then I would have ordinarily (not so good for my budget, but great for my mind)!
Hi Tracy! I love your resolution to read new authors. I've been resolving to read more (which is easy with the Kindle and the Nook!) and to also read different genres than I normally try.
Happy 2012!
No resolutions. But I thought handcream... I could do that... and grandbaby who just learned how to screw off caps sneaked the tube from the shelf and... oh, well. Poor dog. Out of handcream... Back to no resolutions.
Hi Tracy! Happy New Year! My resolution is to travel more this year. It seems I only saw work and home and I hope this year I can least make it off the continent! Maybe see Europe or Asia. Carol
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