My word for the 2015 New Year! What's yours?

Hello, dear friends, family, and fellow writers!!

It's another new year - which always sort of freaks me out. When I was a kid thinking about the Millennium year in 2000 and wondering what life would be like in the new millennium, it was so far off into the future I thought the Second Coming would be here first. And here we are 15 years later . . . like I say, freaky! Life often moves at breakneck speed, and, at other times of illness, death, grief, or waiting on the publishing world (especially when your book gets delayed over and over again!), time moves as slowly as a snail.

So the end of December was quiet here on the blog. So much happened after my East Coast Book Tour for FORBIDDEN was finished and I tried to catch up after 17 days away. First, I got sick. I came home to a major deadline, and we traveled to Arizona to get my mother-in-law's house ready to be put on the market after her passing in August. 

THEN I was working frantically on the revision for my editor at Harpercollins for Book 2 of the FORBIDDEN trilogy. After I turned it in there were about 10 days to decorate the house for Christmas, shop, wrap, bake, and all that good stuff.

And my oven broke.

And I got sick again on Christmas Eve. (I think I might be a little run-down.) :-)

Despite all of that, my holidays were lovely. It's always so nice to take a break and spend time with my family. My husband was off work for an entire week and my son Jared was home from college and we talked and played games and watched movies and read - and slept.

Today is January 11th, of course, and I'm still waiting for my new oven to get here. I'm *dying* to bake COOKIES so I can write all of my new projects this year, and revise to my little heart's (stomach's?) content! It's supposed to be here this week . . . fingers crossed. So I bought donuts at the grocery store last night. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gonna do. C'est la vie! :-)

Back to NEW YEARS. A new year. A time when I want to change the way I work and live and feel more in control of my life and goals, and become the person I want to be. 

Many writers choose a word at the beginning of each year. A word that describes their goals, their life, their dreams, their vision. I've been pondering for a couple of weeks now. I love so many of the words I've seen. I finally chose JOY. 

"Take joy", "Live joy", "Feel joy", "Express joy"," Believe in joy".

JOY!!!

Do you have a word for 2015? Please share in the comments! 

xo, 
Kimberley 

My 2012 Reading List - better late than never?

I never got this one done earlier this month. I fully intended to, but I had my middle son home from college until January 4th and I didn't want to let him go. We were having too much fun going to movies and staying up late talking and playing games and eating out and sleeping in . . . er, yes. 

And then I was gone January 5-9th for my brother's interment and after I returned, it was a case of yikes, I gotta get back to real life, take down all the Christmas decorations and, um, there was this little thing called a new novel I had to finish writing! And which I am STILL working on. And which I need to turn in to my Scholastic editor this week.

My goal is Thursday afternoon. Well, probably Friday afternoon. And yes, it is still quite a mess, and here I am reading the whole thing for the very first time. I finished the First Draft's on December 29th - talk about cutting it close. Well, I got to the middle the other day and there are SO many notes to myself about new scenes still to write and a whole slew of scenes to re-order that my head started spinning - I kid you not - swiveling like Pinky Whitehead from Harriet the Spy.

Without further ado, here is the list of books I read during 2013. Children's/YA titles are mixed up, but marked. They are listed in order of being read. Then comes nonfiction, for pleasure and for research. Last of all, adult titles. GRAND TOTAL: 101 books! 

I'm kind of proud of myself. 

And this year I also kept a list of movies I watched. Many are ones my hubby wanted to see. There are several I still want to see, like Lincoln and Skyfall.

I also critiqued 17 manuscripts for various friends and crit partners. Whew!

Children’s/YA Books Read:

Glory Be by Augusta Scattergood MG

The Unbecoming of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin YA

Trapped by Michael Northrop YA

May B by Caroline Starr Rose MG

A Monster Calls by Patrick Ness MG

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi YA

The Visconti House by Elsbeth Edgar MG

Eight Keys by Suzanne LeFleur MG

Amelia Earhart by Candace Fleming MG nonfiction

10. Peter Nimble and his Fantastic Eyes by Auxier MG

The Trouble with May Amelia by Jennifer Holm MG

The Aviary by Kathleen O’Dell MG

How to Save a Life by Sara Zarr YA

Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George MG

15. Variant by Robison Wells YA

The Everneath by Brodi Ashton YA

Crossing the Wire by Will Hobbs MG

Ninth Ward by Jewell Parker Rhodes MG

Miles from Ordinary by Carol Lynch Williams YA

20. Girls Don’t Fly  Kristin Chandler YA

The Humming Room by Ellen Potter MG

Starters by Lissa Price YA

With a Name Like Love by Tess Hilmo MG

Sean Grisham’s Head by Lindsey Leavitt YA

25. Slayers by C. J. (Janette Rallison) YA

Shifting by Bethany Wiggins YA

Legend by Marie Lu YA

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs YA

The One and Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate MG

30. Wonder by R. J. Palacio MG

Bigger Than a Breadbox by Laurel Snyder MG

Where Things Come Back, John Corey Whaley YA

What Happened on Fox Street? Tricia Springstubb MG

Tighter by Adele Griffin YA

35. Chime by Franny Billinsgly YA

Shine by Lauren Myracle YA

Grave Mercy by R.L. LeFevers YA

The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen MG

The Wild Queen Carolyn Meyer YA

40. Keeping the Castle by Patrice Kindle YA

Desert Angel by Charlie Price YA

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor YA

Leisl and Po by Lauren Oliver MG

Across the Universe by Beth Revis YA

45. Summer of the Gypsy Moths by Sara Pennypacker MG

46. Breaking Stalin’s Nose by Eugene Yelchin MG

47. Sixty-Eight Rooms by Marianne Malone MG

48. Iva Honeysuckle by Candice Ransom MG

49. Cleopatra’s Moon by Vicky Alvear Shecter YA

50. Three Times Lucky by Sheila Turnage MG

51. Small Damages by Beth Kephart YA

52. The Secret Tree by Natalie Standiford MG

53. Don’t Look Behind You by Michelle Gagnon YA

54. Skylark by Meagan Spooner YA

55. Small Medium at Large by Joanne Levy MG

56. The Great Unexpected by Sharon Creech MG

57 Throne of Glass  by Sarah Maas YA

58. Crewel  by Gennifer Albin YA

59. The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron YA

60. Liar Society, Book #2 by Lisa and Laura Roecker YA

61. What’s Left of Me by Kat Zhang YA

62. Every Day by David Levithan YA

63. Vixen by Jillian YA

64. Palace of Stone by Shannon Hale MG

65. On the Road to Mr. Mineo’s by Barbara O’Connor MG

66. Hit the Road by Caroline Cooney YA

67. Liar and Spy by Rebecca Stead MG

68. Z is for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brian MG

69. Toby Gold by Craig R. Everett  MG

Non-Fiction Books:

7 Miracles that Saved America by Todd Stewart

7 Miracles that Saved the World by

America’s Hope by Douglas Brinley

Growing up Amish by Ira Wagler

Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo

The Writer’s Book of Hope by Ralph Keys

The Bedouin by Jamail Jabbar

Bedouins of the Desert

Belly Dance by Wendy Bonaventura

Lehi’s Journey

History of the Middle East

Jordan, Past and Present

Arabian Travels by Wilford Thesiger

Travels in Arabia Deserta by Charles Doughty

Abraham Lincoln by Bill O’Reilly

The Shallows: How the Internet is Transforming our Brains

Outliers by Malcom Gladwell

Life as a Victorian Lady by Pamela Horn

Second Sight  by Cheryl Klein

The Victorian Home

Victorian Dress

The War of Art  by Steve Pressfield

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey by Countess Carnarvon

What Austen Saw and Dickens Knew

25. Daily Life in Victorian England

Adult Novels:

1. Rebecca’s Tale by Sally Beauman

2. The Dressmakers Daughter by Kate Alcott

3. Sister by Rosamund Lipton

4. The Beginner’s Goodbye by Anne Tyler

5. State of Wonder by Anne Patchett

6. The Scent of Water by Elizabeth Goudge

7. Opal by Katherine Beck (partial)

Movies Watched (there may actually be more, I didn't start keeping the list until part way into the year:

I Capture the Castle

Possession

Downton Abbey (10 hours)

Cranford, BBC production (4 hours)

The Pianist

Persuasion

The Illusionist

Cranford Returns

The Help

Jane Eyre, 1944 version

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

Mansion Houses of England

Mansfield Park

Ondine (surprisingly fantastic. If you haven't seen this, you must. Beautiful and haunting.)

Secret of Moonacre

Elizabeth

Jane Eyre, 2007 Masterpiece Theatre version

War Horse

Battleship

John Carter 3D

The Westing Game

Anonymous

Breakfast at Tiffany’s

Somewhere in Time

The Bourne Legacy

Man From Snowy River

17 Miracles

Men in Black 3

The Dark Knight

The Avengers

The Recruit

Twilight, Breaking Dawn

Red Dawn

Jack Reacher

Casino Royale

Quantam of Solace

Birdsong, Masterpiece Theatre

Les Miserables

Television: 

Once Upon a Time, 10 episodes

My Guilty Pleasure: Southern, Funny, and Sexy: Hart of Dixie, 32 episodes - I had to watch all of Season One on Netflix and catch up!

The New Year of 2013, a Personal Message

2012 was a tough year for me, for my family, for my writing. I'm hoping 2013 will be much more "lucky", even if it does end in a "13". 

A month ago I lost my brother to terminal brain cancer, after 16 months battling the horror of 5 growing tumors and being paralyzed and unable to speak for the last 5-6 months of his life. He was confined to a hospital bed, unable to say goodbye to his family, especially his beautiful wife and three young sons which about broke my heart. The tumors finally took over his brain until he slipped away at last on December 12, his twin boy's 6th birthday. A week later, he would have been 44 years old on December 19th, the same day our own father died 39 years ago in an airplane crash when we were kids and, ironically, unbelievably, on Kendall's very own 5th birthday. So my baby brother who grew up without a father now leaves his own children without their Dad. History repeating in a surreal and mind-boggling way. 

When my brother returned from his last overseas tour in the Navy, after serving for nearly 25 years, and much of the last 20 years in the Middle East, he couldn't wait to be home, to be with his kids, to finish raising the twins as well as his 12-year-old son. To be the Dad he never had - and that was taken away from him.

I've spent many days and weeks and months the past year railing against the inevitable, the sadness, the grief, the anger, and the whole unreality of this happening all over again to my family. I hide it well in public, but at home I often fall apart. I've spent hundreds of hours on the phone the last 16 months with my mother and sisters and other brothers talking and crying and weeping and trying to understand. 

Life is not fair. It's just not. And even though I know there is a plan for each of us that comes from God our Heavenly Father, and a purpose to our lives and challenges and trials, it is often extremely difficult to accept it and not become angry or full of despair. 

I'm grateful for the MANY emails and messages and cards from my online community. This is not something I've talked about very much at all - more so on Facebook, but even there not that much, out of respect for my sister-in-law who wore herself out trying to make life as normal as possible for the three boys while my brother spent most of this past year in the hospital or very sick at home.

I'm also very blessed to have understanding editors and an agent who let me cry on the phone with her. Editors who sent me numerous lovely and generous and supportive emails and cards and flowers, as well as pushing back deadlines when I was falling apart the last four months. 

Thank you all so very much. It has meant a lot to me to know that people care and are thinking about me and have been praying for me - even strangers. We prayed for a miracle and we didn't get it, but I haven't lost my faith in an eternal plan of happiness, in our Savior, Jesus Christ who carries our burdens and loves us unconditionally, and helps us get through each day.Who knows our grief and weeps with us. Who has taken Kendall into his safe arms along with our father. That is the one thing that helps me get through this, is knowing they are together. They're catching up, probably talking a mile a minute, and Kendall is free from pain. 

It's up to us to hold fast, to stay true and faithful, to not lose hope, to believe. To always believe. 

Even though the world may be crumbling around us, there is always hope. There is always love. There is always our Heavenly Father and Savior who know what we need, and there is always family and friends to lift us up and catch us when we fall, as well as cry with us. Sometimes that's all we need.

So now I'm trying to get a grasp on a new year. To organize myself once again. To try to make my whirling life into something I can manage (ha!) to get my work done, keep up with a busy travel schedule, a revision/editorial schedule for two books, a drafting schedule for two new manuscripts (possibly three), a  crazy school/conference/presentation schedule - and try to stay sane through it all. Um. Yeah. Right. Fingers crossed big time!

BUT: My writing has often been an escape for me when life wrings me out to dry. Hopefully I can still escape, still enjoy the writing, the stories only I can tell, the stories I need to tell, the stories I love.

So what are your writing and reading goals for this brand spankin' New Year of 2013?

I hope there are other crazies out there with me . . . :-)

With love to you all, 
Kimberley

Friday Five

My New Year's Goals!

1. Sign my Scholastic Contract with flourish.

2. Deposit my Six Figure Advance and SPEND, SPEND, SPEND!

3. Travel the World in Style.

4. Appear on the Bestseller List 52 weeks in a row.

5. Write the "Best Book Ever" like Barbara O'Connor did.


So . . . back to my PBJ, laundry, and revisions . . .