I really can't remember the I last time I blogged. Maybe it was almost a year ago, and if I'm not mistaken, the post was about how bad I felt about not blogging more often.
I do have some good reasons for being MIA. First of all, I was pretty burnt out from writing the IN OR OUT series. I don't know if you're aware of this, but I wrote those four books in 18 months. I went to my day job at Delacorte Press from 9 to 5, worked on my writing from 7 to 11, and on the weekends, I would spend almost all my time with Nola James and Marnie Fitzpatrick in Poughkeepsie. The amount of energy I had left over after the books were all finished went toward sleeping and TV watching. Oh and eating my face off.
And then something amazing happened at my day job--I fell in love! Believe it or not, my Mr. Right was sitting in a cubicle on the other side of the 9th floor. I remember the day I first saw Ben so vividly. I was at my desk emailing someone, when out of the corner of my eye I saw a gorgeous guy passing by my office--blond hair, hazel eyes, tall, incredible smile. I think I may have even got up out of my chair and watched him walk down the hall! Anyway, Ben wound up asking me out at our company Halloween party and we've been together for a year and a half. I must admit, I've invested all my heart in the relationship and a lot of my time, too. So blogging about my life didn't seem as important to me as actually living it, know what I mean?
And then something horrible happened at my day job--I got laid off! It was sudden, it was unexpected, and it was heartbreaking. I loved working at Delacorte and had built many friendships there. I also had to leave behind projects and authors that I adored. I was so disappointed and hurt that I kind of dropped off the face of the earth for a while. I guess I was feeling rejected and doubting myself, wondering if I hadn't been meeting people's expectations or if I wasn't any good at being an editor. Needless to say, I wasn't feeling up to writing about my life, because I was kind of seeing myself as a failure. Who wants to read about that?!
I eventually realized that there's a blessing in every life lesson, though. For six months, I lived as a freelance editor and writer, supporting myself just as well as I did when I was at Delacorte. I edited mystery novels, I wrote sitcom pilots, I did temp work, I ghostwrote a book in a long-running series for tweens, and I taught a course on how to write a YA novel. Basically, I never turned down a job opportunity, and boy, did it pay off. I really got my self-confidence back and showed myself that not only was I good at what I do, but I had the skills to pay the bills! I didn't need a full-time job to validate me, I could do that all on my own.
And then serendipity struck in November 09--the moment I realized that I could work independently and continue to thrive, two huge opportunities came my way, both of them through HarperCollins. I was offered a book deal with HarperTeen AND a Senior Editor position at Katherine Tegen Books--within two weeks of each other! I spent the next few months writing the novel and developing new teen series for KT Books, so blogging wasn't something I could fit into my life.
And now here I am, settled into the new job, finished with the new novel, still deliriously in love, and ready to chronicle my adventures again online! Not only do I have more time, but I have more drive, inspiration, and energy than ever before.
I'm so excited to give you all a glimpse of my little nook in the world, now that I'm exactly where I want to be. Stay tuned...
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