Why, hello 2011. What big promise you have.
Hope is a funny thing. It sustains us through dark times, nurtures the good inside us, and gives us a reason to move forward. The act of hoping can make us happier. Some say that writing your hopes and dreams down on paper, or saying them out loud to the universe, can make them come true. Paul Coelho writes in The Alchemist, “When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it.”
Hope can also be frightening. Sometimes I want to spit three times and turn in a circle just to be safe. It’s a fragile thing, but it blooms in the darkest corners of our hearts.
I love starting a new year, like starting a new book. It is full of the promise of good things to come. The anticipation is the often the best part. The heartache is when reality doesn’t measure up to our dreamy expectations, so this year I’m not going to make any new year’s resolutions. I’m going to go with the flow, play it by ear, let the universe unfold as it will. I’m sure it will have many surprises in store.
What are you looking forward to this year? (Besides, of course, reading SHADOWFEVER and finishing Karen Marie Moning’s riveting Fever series. All I can say is, if Barrons and Mac don’t end up HEA, my expectations will have been cruelly dashed.)
Today is an 
Famous woman I admire: Elizabeth Blackwell, first woman doctor, (1821-1910). Tenacity, thy name is Elizabeth. She began studying medicine privately before searching for a medical school that would admit her. Rejection after rejection followed. Geneva Medical College in New York eventually accepted her. She fought ostracism and prejudice to graduate first in her class in 1849, becoming the first woman to graduate from medical school. Faced more ostracism and prejudice to set up a practice, but she kept on trucking. She later went on to found a Women’s Medical College.
Warm wishes and god jul to you and your kin!
) Mr. Wonderful and I bought ourselves a fancy new camera to take photos of our little bundle of joy. Three months to figure out how to use all the bells and whistles–we can do it!
On a non-baby-book-related note: December’s book club book was Nalini Singh’s 
I have so much to be thankful for this year–the most wonderful husband, an adorable furbaby, great friends, supportive family, bountiful travel opportunities, time to pursue writing and art, living in the most beautiful place in the world…. This year we have exciting news to be thankful for: the Scottish playboy and I are expecting our very own secret baby! 
It’s my favorite time of year: Halloween! Why? you might ask. Not for the candy, which I used to collect but never eat. Not for the ghost stories, which give me nightmares. Not for the pranks. When it comes to fun, I’m all about the costumes. This year I worked on five costumes for an Alice in Wonderland themed pub crawl before I was laid low by the flu. Fortunately the costumes are finished (see me as the Cheshire Cat at right). Unfortunately I’ll have to live the pub crawl vicariously through pictures. I also love pumpkin carving, and although I made it out to a pick-your-own-pumpkin patch, I didn’t get around to carving the darn things. 
Another year has flashed by. I’ve read a lot of books, written a lot of words and traveled a lot of places. I’ve said goodbye to some dear friends and family members, and celebrated weddings and births. A year full of adventures: showshoeing in Japan, sailing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean, and trekking the rainbow-filled mountains of New Zealand. A year of firsts: attended my first national RWA Conference, finished my first manuscript and biked in my first triathlon. I achieved PRO membership in RWA. I started a second manuscript and am ALMOST DONE WITH THE ROUGH DRAFT!!!
As a kid, Carl Fredrickson dreams of flying to South America to visit the land that time forgot just like his hero. He meets a little girl with the same dream, grows up, gets married and lives a really cute life of montages. They still dream of that trip, but life keeps getting in the way. At age 78, Carl’s wife dies, and Carl is left alone in their little house with the city closing in around him and life passing him by. Contractors and businessmen are knocking on his door trying to get him to sell his house so they can tear it down and build something big (like Trader Joe’s/LA Fitness). He decides enough is enough, ties a million balloons to the top of his house and flies UP to adventure.
