For the Love of a Good Word
(And a chance to win a Free Book!)
The New Year is upon us and with it comes the dreaded New Year’s Resolutions! Last year, I took the advice of another favorite romance writer, Debbie Macomber. She suggested that instead of doing a bunch of resolutions that fizzle out after a month, to pick one meaningful word to sum up your year and try to live by that word throughout the year.
The word I chose for myself last year was INTENTIONAL. I decided for 2012, I wanted to be more intentional about my life. More intentional in my roles as wife and mother, which meant listening more and planning more quality family time to spend together. More intentional in my relationships with my family and my friends, by being the one to call up my mom or my girlfriends to plan lunch or coffee and telling people how important they are in my life. I also wanted to be more intentional as a writer, by putting my writing first and finding time to get those words on the page. And by setting a writing goal that I WILL be published in 2012.
My writing intentions became a reality on December 20th of this year when my novel, Another Saturday Night and I Ain’t Got No Body was published. Holding my book in my hand and having people call and text me that they finished my book and loved it, was the best Christmas present I could ask for. I love hearing that my characters made someone laugh out loud or stay up late to finish another chapter! I was thrilled when my book hit the Kindle Top 100 New Releases in two categories of Humor and Women’s Fiction.
Now, a new and exciting year is upon us and I have chosen a new word for 2013. This year’s word is BELIEVE. There are so many facets to the ways to believe and I am working on all of them. Believe in myself as a wife, a mother, a sister, a good friend, a great writer. Believe in God, in miracles, in the good of mankind, and in Santa Claus.
Believe that I WILL be successful in my writing endeavors and that my next book will be better than the first.
There are a lot of great words out there like hope, success, peace, persevere, joy, faith. If I had to pick a word for my main character, Sunny, it would have to be Adventure. Sunny’s boring summer turns deadly when her book club friends fire her from managing her own love life and set her up on six blind dates, and one might be with a murderer.
Sunny’s secret hope for adventure comes to life through her dating antics, a missing neighbor, a hot mysterious stranger, and a geriatric Nancy Drew. A goofy golden retriever and a group of well-meaning friends both help, and hinder, Sunny in a crazy search for Mr. Right.
So, take a minute to think about your coming year and what you want to see happen in your life. I would love to hear some choices of what you would pick for your word for 2013. Leave a comment below for your chance to win a free copy of my book.
Thanks for hosting me on RomCon® and I hope you get a chance to check out my new book, Another Saturday Night and I Ain’t Got No Body, on Amazon.com, available in Kindle or Paperback. It is FREE for Amazon Prime Members. I BELIEVE it will make you laugh over an ordinary girl looking for love and swoon over a hunky hero who tries to protect her while stealing her heart.
Happy New Year and remember to BELIEVE in yourselves…Visit me at www.jenniemarts.com or Facebook
Comments
Happy New Year to you!
Connie, thanks for the sweet comment. I try very hard to be positive. 'Count your blessings' is a very common term, but I think the end of the year is a great time to take stock and even write down some of the many blessings we have in our lives. Some people would be surprised that they could fill entire pages with the many true blessings most of us have. Connie, I can tell that you are blessed with a great sense of humor and quick wit (I loved the 'page from your book' comment! :) )
Gals, thanks again for visiting my blog today and happy reading in 2013!
and MAKING it happen is a wonderful idea. I think authors
especially overwhelm themselves with something like: I'll
write a 100,000 word novel this year.
That's intimidating! How about this: I'll write 200 words
per day, everyday.
That's doable and you will still have a finished product
and will feel so proud of yourself.
You know how much I love Sunny's story! Wishing you much
continued success with this and the rest of the series!
Happy New Year!!
Robin, thanks for the comments. You don't have to have your word by Jan 1, sometimes it takes some mulling over then it just comes to you! Maybe your word for the year will come to you as you ring in the New Year tonight! :)
Jennifer: I love your idea of breaking down that dreaded word count. It's much easier to chew when you take one bite of a cream puff, instead of stuffing the whole thing in your mouth, haha!
Great blog and congratulations on your book! I love both of your words - intentional and believe!!! It's a perfect reminder for thinking in a mindful, positive way. I'm working on my own word for 2013 - it's going to be a great year!
Michelle
My word for 2013 is ORGANIZE. I am organized, but have become overrun by too much stuff and too much to do. Some good organization in my life will help accomplish many of the things I would normally add to my Resolution List.
Have a wonderful 2013 and best of luck with your writing career.
Michelle, I love your enthusiasm for the new year and all the excitement it entails. Anxious to hear what word you choose for your year.
Patricia, I LOVE your word! Funny how we can be so organized in one area of our lives and so scattered in others. I am working toward organization as well. First step is to unearth my desk. I think it is buried in my office somewhere. Anyone have a backhoe I can borrow? Wishing you great sucess, Patricia, in all your organizing endeavors!
Happy New Year to all! Let's all resolve to read more books this year! Happy Reading!