*YAWN* December, Thanks, and Other Happenings

This time, I really AM yawning because I'm tired.  But I did it - NaNoWriMo is behind me.  50,000 words in a month, whew!  

​It's hard to believe it's December already.  Wasn't it just September?  LOL.  But as I was hanging decorations throughout the house with the help of my three daughters (although the baby Aerin tended to EAT the decorations rather than hang them), I had a moment of reflection.  I never wrote a Thanksgiving post, so I never managed to sum up all the things I'm thankful for.  But the list isn't too complicated.

​I'm thankful for family and friends.  An easy one, right?  But they have really done a lot to support me in my writing career and give me encouragement when things might have seemed bleak, both personally and professionally.  I wouldn't be here without them.

And, speaking of writing, I'm really thankful for everyone who has helped me and who has read and enjoyed my stories.  Although I've spent years honing my craft, there are times when I still can't believe that I'm a published author and that people actually read what I've put down on paper.  That's pretty cool.  I hope it's been entertaining along the way.

My most recent writerly news is that on the first of December, I entered the #PitMad contest run by the talented Brenda Drake.  For those of you not familiar with the contest, it's run four times a year.  From 8am-8pm, you can tweet about your unpublished manuscript three times, in the hopes of getting the attention of publishers and agents who are watching the thread.

I had planned and written my tweets in advance the week leading up to the contest, and I was very excited to participate.  But with three kids and a lot of RL things to do the day of the contest, I wasn't able to get to it until quite late in the afternoon.  When I sent out my tweets, I agonized that all the professionals would have already selected their picks and gone home, and I would be tweeting to an empty room.

But I wasn't!  My book caught the interest of an agent and two publishers.  I've sent the first couple of chapters to them, and so now I will wait with bated breath to hear back.

I love this time of year - hard not to, when my kids are bouncing around with joy every day.  It's pretty contagious.  Hope you are having a great start to your holiday season, too!

---