Friday Five: The New Year Edition

Why hello, shiny new year! We didn't get off to the best start, but we're not going to let that shape how this year turns out, are we? No. No we're not. We're going to shake off this flu/bronchitis of death, and rise victorious, making this year the best one yet! Right? Right.

Okay, so I might still be suffering from the lingering effects of lack of sleep, and cough syrup,  but here are just a few of my thoughts on this first Friday of the New Year:

1. Last year was quite the year -- some of the worst lows of my life, and some of the best highs. I learned a lot, I grew a lot, I reached some amazing new milestones in my writing career and in  my personal life. I can hardly believe it's over and that 2013 is already here.

2. I've been super sick for almost two weeks, and all of my kids have been, too. And SonA had his tonsils out two days after Christmas. And it's 2 degrees outside right now. We're finally on the upswing, getting better, but still not quite there yet. Can you say recipe for going stir-crazy????

3. Luckily I had some great books to keep me sane during all the hours of sickness. There are some amazing books coming out this year, and one of the first ones is THROUGH THE EVER NIGHT - the sequel to UNDER THE NEVER SKY. I was lucky enough to get to read an arc of TTEN during the break and I'm here to tell you Veronica Rossi knows how to write a sequel. SERIOUSLY. SO. GOOD. I'm still thinking about it and contemplating ways to bribe her into letting me read the last one. I HAVE TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENS! So, if you haven't already pre-ordered this baby, go do it. Like, right now. Or you can wait until it comes out January 8th and go buy both of her books to celebrate!

4. I love spending time with good friends. Last night I got to go to dinner with two wonderful friends (who are also writers), and it was SO very needed. I got to escape the sick house, enjoy amazing food and even better company, and talk books/writing/life for hours. Just what the doctor prescribed!

5. There are so many exciting things coming up in 2013, it's going to be a year to remember! (AKA, I have too many thoughts to put into a list of five, so I'm finishing with a vague, "wait and see what else is coming" tease to round this list out.)

So that's it for now. How's your new year starting off? Do you make resolutions? Do you have a good feeling about lucky 13?

Best Writing Advice

Today you'll find me over at YA Muses talking about the best writing advice I've ever received. This was a hard one to narrow down, but ultimately I kept coming back to the same thing. Want to find out what I had to say? Hop on over and find out!

Thanks to the lovely Veronica Rossi for asking me to be a part of the blog! If you haven't read her book UNDER THE NEVER SKY yet, you better go do it right now. It's good, you guys. Like INCREDIBLY AMAZING GO-BUY-IT-RIGHT-NOW good.

Gorgeous, right? So original and wonderful, go forth and buy and read.

And hope you'll go over and check out my guest post and comment, so I don't feel like a total loser who doesn't have any comments! :P