YOT Day 1 - Happy New Year!

Like just about everyone else, I was thinking about the start of a new year and the symbolism that holds. New beginnings. Fresh starts. And then I thought about what I want to focus on this year. The answer came pretty quickly.

Where will you go this year?

Thankfulness.

If you're like me, there are some days when you're anything but thankful. I know I can be grouchy and selfish, and then I fail to see all the blessings God has given me. So, in order to live in a spirit of thankfulness, I've decided that each day I'll post something I'm thankful for.

Today, I'm thankful that the Mayans were wrong! LOL... seriously, I'm thankful for today, the first day of a new year. To all of you, I wish blessings abounding and a year that gets better and better every day.

Now...the challenge will be to see if I can keep this up all year. So far so good... Day One of the Year of Thanksgiving (YOT) is accomplished!

Say Goodbye to 2010

I just went through the yearly task of switching from one desk calendar to another. The 2010 calendar is spent, used up. It will be filed away with years worth of others (I can't bear to throw one away... what if I write my memoirs some day and need to know that on Thursday, April 26, 2007, my son and I saw Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream Coat at the Summerlin Library? See what I mean?)

But I digress... I know a lot of people are going to be happy to send 2010 on its way. For me, however, it was a year of blessings. Personally, my son started his senior year of high school, my husband achieved a career goal, and we were finally able to buy (and move into) a house of our own. Professionally, I saw the release of my second novel (The Pastor's Wife), signed a contract to write another one (The Mother Road), and signed with a great agent. So when I put away my 2010 date book, it's with a smile and a thank you.

Then there's the new calendar. It's so pretty. It already contains (in no particular order):

• The January schedule for all the awesome ladies who contribute to my blog, The Pastor's Wife Speaks.
• Dates when I'm scheduled to blog elsewhere
• The deadline for my next book - April 1st!
• The date for the next ACFW Conference
• Special dates to remember for family and friends

That may sound like a lot, but for the most part, the calendar is blank. Like the year spreading out before me, it's open to amazing possibilities. 2011 will hold challenges, to be sure... How will I cope with an empty nest when my son goes off to college? Will I sell another book, or will I crash and burn? Will my Wii Fit character EVER lose enough weight to be skinny again?

I have no idea.

But here's what I do know: God loves me. My husband and son love me. My family and friends love me. I even love myself from time to time (something I think every woman on the planet struggles with). Being surrounded by that much love, everything else is just icing, right?

I can't wait to see how God fills up my calendar. May He fills yours with all that is good and lovely.

Be blessed!

Beginning the Annual Battle of the Bulge

There's a reason why stores promote fitness equipment at the first of the year. It's because we're all looking forward to a new year full of new possibilities. And those of us who struggle with weight issues ALWAYS vow that this will be the year we get our bodies under control.

I've got a confession to make... I had it licked. About two years ago, I made it. I reached my goal weight. I wasn't Sports Illustrated swimsuit model material, but I was happy. More importantly, I felt healthy. It was awesome.

Then I threw it all away.

Even though I knew exactly how to eat and how to maintain my weight, I let myself go. I'm an emotional eater, which means every emotion elicits a "go eat" response. I eat to celebrate. I eat when I'm bored. I eat when I'm depressed. Frankly, "fun food" is my addiction.

I find myself starting off the year facing a sobering fact: I'm 28 pounds over my goal weight. Worse than that, I'm eating food that I know makes me feel bad. Over the years, I've learned that too many carbohydrates (especially refined sugar) affect me in a bad way, emotionally as well as physically.

So here I go, joining the masses in a vow to make this the year I lose that weight and actually keep it off. For me, it's more about changing my mindset than the food itself. How about you? Anybody out there in the same boat? What's your plan? And if you've battle with weight and been victorious, do you have any tips for us? Our ears are alert and ready!

New Goal #1 - Announcing the New Work-In-Progress

Okay, folks. After much consideration, I've decided what the next book will be...

Come Together - a futuristic medical thriller.

From a business standpoint, this may not seem like the best choice. After all, my first two published books are both contemporary romantic fiction, so I'm kind of stepping out of that genre. However, I do have my reasons:

• I want to push myself - By writing something so different, I'm going to need to stretch and go beyond what I'm comfortable with. I think that's a good thing.
• I love weird stuff - I read just about everything, but when it comes to TV, my favorite shows tend to be those with sci-fi tendencies: LOST, V, Flash Forward, Stargate SG-1... Need I go on?
• I'm already working on another book - Yes, it's true. My buddy, Lisa, and I decided to take a stab at co-writing a book. It's a historical romantic mystery. So I want my solo book to be completely on the other end of the fiction spectrum.
• I can always adapt - If I get a nibble or an actual bite from an editor who wants a different story, I will happily switch horses. That's the nice thing about not having a contract for the story you're working on. (Truthfully, that's the only nice thing about it.)

There you have it. My thought process, scattered though it may be. And here, for your enjoyment (hopefully) is a short blurb for my new work-in-progress, Come Together

In 2063 the Inmate Organ Donor Program is in full swing thanks to the success of a breakthrough anti-rejection drug created by DNA therapy expert Dr. Stella Ramirez. But something's gone wrong. Within the span of two weeks, seven people report odd side effects. They’re doing things they didn’t know how to do before, going places they’ve never been yet knowing exactly how to get there, and having flashes of memory that don’t belong to them. After some digging, Dr. Ramirez makes a troubling discovery. They all have one thing in common. They all received transplants from the same donor: Bart Myers.

As Stella searches for an answer to this medical mystery, she uncovers even more disturbing information about the donor program. An investigative reporter, Myers was convicted of a murder he claimed he didn’t commit just days before it was made public that his brother, Franklin, founder of the IODP, needed a bone marrow transplant.

Stella knows she’s being followed, but it’s not until someone close to the investigation disappears that she realizes the danger she’s in. Stella and the affected transplant recipients must come together to save each other, avenge the death of an innocent man, and expose the corruption that snakes its way to the highest levels of the government

Yowza. This one's definitely going to stretch me... an ensemble cast, multiple storylines, and politics. Well, there's only one way to write it. One word at a time. To that end, here's goal #2 for the year: Write 1000 words a day at least five days a week. I'll let you know how that goes.

Now, what about you? What's your goal this year? Is there something that you need some accountability help with? Maybe we can help each other.

Happy New Year to you all!


Photo credit: www.dreamstime.com - Dusipuffi

Happy New Year 2009!

2 Corinthians 5:17
(New Living Translation)

This means that anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person. The old life is gone; a new life has begun!


May you enjoy another year
as a new creation!