End of the Year Review

*to the tune of Jingle Bells* "Rebel Belle, Rebel Belle, you are nearly done..."

Yup, still slaving away, although the light at the end of the tunnel is very bright and clear now. Especially since my new Alphasmart got here and OMG I LOVE IT SO MUCH! Seriously, you guys. It is ever so awesome. My favorite part (other than the whole "it runs forever and ever on 3 batteries thing) is when you dump your file into Word. The whole document doesn't just magically appear; it types itself out, like Story Elves are writing your book, and I find this highly enjoyable. So if you've been on the fence about getting one, let me just say that I love mine more than a fat kid loves cake (and so does Ally Carter, who, let's face it, is much more of an expert on these things than me!)

This will be my last post of 2008, since there is about to be much traveling/writing/editing in my future, BUT 2009 is going to be so exciting on Reading Writing Rachel! For one thing, I'm jut a little over a year from publication, which seems like long time, but feels just around the corner! And I'm sure there will be lots of exciting things to report as Demonglass gets closer and closer to press (Edits! Cover art! More edits! ARCs!)

Plus, in January, this here blog will be one whole year old, and I'm planning another super fun contest to celebrate that. There will also be author interviews to look forward to, and maybe, if I ask really nicely, Agent Holly will stop by.

As y'all know, 2008 has been a heck of a year for me! *g* It's weird to think that this time last year, I was right in the middle of everything: two months out of the Black Hole of Suck, two months to go until I finished the book and found Agent Holly. Of course, you know I can't talk about any of this without getting Lifetime movie-levels of sappy, so I'll just skip the "FOLLOW YOUR DREEEEEEAMS" part get onto my list of things I was thankful for in 2008.

1. The Husband. I don't think I can ever really express how supportive The Husband has been through all of this. He never, ever stopped believing I could do this. He handed his retirement fund over so that I could do this. When I freaked out back in January '08 and got a crappy job, he was the one who said, "This is not what you should be doing. You should be writing." Books can be written without that level of support, but I can't imagine it. You rock, babe.

2. Small Son, who brightens my day every single day, whether it's by announcing that his teacher is NOT a dolphin (which is good. We were all wondering about that.) or the whole "chip in booty" incident, or telling me he loves me "infinity," Small Son rules my world.

3. The Mama, who is awesome and you should all be jealous she's not your mom. ;) Like The Husband, The Mama was ultra-supportive (which, um, makes her sound like a bra), and didn't yell at me, even though I quit my job and didn't finish graduate school. Oops! Love you, The Mama!

4.My friends. I am to have so many wonderful friends, all of whom read parts of Demonglass when it was first developing, and gave me great feedback. And of course, Felicia gave me great cupcakes, to she gets an extra thanks! ;)

5. The Black Hole of Suck. I KNOW! It's so weird that I'm thankful for the Black Hole of Suck! But I so am, for a couple of reasons. One, if I hadn't worked there, I never would have met some lovely friends, and some truly excellent kids. I would never have discovered YA if it hadn't been for those kids, and I still think about them whenever I write. You guys made all the BS worth it. And two, well, if it hadn't been such a soul-crushing place to work, I never would have had the guts to quit and take a risk at a better life for me and my family. So here's to you, Black Hole of Suck! May cans of pepper spray be fired in your honor!

6. Agent Holly, aka The Bestest Agent Ev-ah. Seriously guys, I cannot even express how awesome Agent Holly is. She is funny, and super smart, and so professional, and even though she has bunches of clients, she always makes me feel like I'm her only one, even when I'm emailing her 4 time a day with silly questions. That is talent, folks.

7. Editor Jen. Again with the super-smart and so professional. At least three of the series she's worked on are NYT bestsellers. I mean, hello? Also, like Agent Holly, she's very quick to get back to me and makes me feel important, even though I am not Rick Riordan. ;)

8. The seven (SEVEN!) other countries who have bought Demonglass. When I was writing the book, it never even occurred to me that people all around the world would be reading it. I am so grateful that Sophie and Co get to be all international! (And I'm looking forward to some super sweet "business trips.")

9. The "Tenners." This group of ladies (and one dude) rock my face off. Everyone is so talented, and so helpful, and there's such a positive vibe of community within the group. Writing can be kind of a lonely business, so it's wonderful to have friends and colleagues who are all going through the same thing. If you haven't gone by the site to read their bios and book synopses, you really must. I'm not kidding when I say that EVERY SINGLE BOOK sounds fabulous. 2010 is going to be a great year for YA!

10. All of y'all! Thanks to everyone who stops by the blog to comment, or just to read. When I started this blog, I figured I'd be lucky if my friends stopped by, so thank you, thank you, thank you for hanging out at Reading Writing Rachel!

I hope 2009 brings you everything you've hoped for, and that for many of you, 2009 will be what 2008 was to me.

Happy holidays!