Welcome to 2024!!! Life is like a dance, we take a few steps forward and a few back, and sometime run in circles. I'm more than ready to put on my dancing shoes. It's time to say farewell to 2023 and look forward to 2024. Normally, I don't spend a lot of time looking back and focus more on the future, but since 2023 was a big year I wanted to spend a little time on what was accomplished.

Contents

• The Look Back
• The Way Forward
• Picture Gallery

The Look Back

At the beginning of 2022 I had confirmed my decision to retire from the day job. Something that was essential to do for my overall well-being and I wanted to spend more time working on my passion projects. My timeline changed a few times and I carried over that goal into 2023. I had 3 major goals for 2023:

1. Retire from the day job.
2. Move (I wasn't even sure where exactly at that point)
3. Launch my debut MG series (Katie McCabe) with Vesuvian Books

Retirement:
Retirement is not for the faint of heart. Some people have a big adjustment curve they go through when they stop working. I had planned on an adjustment period because I knew there would be a lot of things administratively that would have to be handled before I could put into action the next step. The first week of January marked my retirement, but it took several months to get everything taken care, despite having planned in advance. I miss the people I worked with, but, even though I enjoyed my job, I haven't missed it one whit.

The Move:
Mentally, moving was my biggest challenge for the year. Just trying to wrap my head around everything that needed to get done and the how took several months. Overwhelm mode activated.. I had been searching for the right place on and off over the past few years and had even put an offer in on a house. But when friends checked it out, what looked good on paper turned to dust and the offer was rescinded. Since the housing market was in such bad shape with unrealistic pricing and rates that were too high, I made the decision to rent for the time being and I couldn't be happier.

I settled on the where, but then had to figure out how to get me and my stuff there trying to keep isolated as much as possible for health reasons. Then a brain wave hit … do a cross country train trip. It took a little longer to arrive, but I am still happy I made that decision. It is something I've always wanted to try. (A picture gallery is below.) I am now in a cozy apartment with my best friends close by and they have been SUCH A HUGE HELP, I can never thank them enough.

The Series Launch:
In the midst of going through everything, getting things packed, and making all the arrangements for the move, I released the first book in the Katie McCabe Series, Rain Falling on Embers. It has already picked up a few awards and positive reviews. I spent the beginning of the year with my editor polishing up the second book in the series, South of Happy and I'm looking forward to getting it out there later this year. All of 2023 was geared toward goals to support my writing habit.

The Way Forward

I do love a fresh, shiny new year. 365 days ahead to make things happen. Sometimes I achieve what I set out to do. Sometimes life throws a curve that makes me bob and weave, or completely derails the year to another destination. But I start each year with hope and plans and am excited to find out where I'll wind up.

The Plans:

• Write, write, and write some more.
• Go through self-edits on Going Up in Flames (Katie McCabe, Book 3)
• Work through the edits my editor will give me for the same (as hard as I try to send it to him as perfect as possible, he ALWAYS has a ton of things for me to think about and adjust.)
• Finish writing Book 1 in the Homeless Myths Series, The Secret of the Redy Key. I cannot wait to share this series with everyone. It has a lot of special sauce going on and I think the rest of the world will agree.
• Get healthier. I am currently in remission (YAY!!!), but my immune system is still shot, so want to work on several avenues to help boost the immune system and give myself more resources to go into battle with. I'd love for this remission to last several years. To that end, I am focused on:
  • Being more active. I have been pretty much housebound for a number of years, especially during the pandemic. So my plan is to get out more, take walks on some of the fantastic trails around me, and work up to using my vibration plate a total of 30 minutes a day (which usually results in my dancing on it if listening to music).
  • Improving nutrition
  • Searching out new treatments for dealing with cancer. I'm excited about the breakthroughs that are popping up with more frequency and have hope that one day, there will be a cure for mine.
• Find my next home, rates and real estate market willing, as the current apartment is meant to be temporary.

The Picture Gallery

I figured since I had so many pictures I wanted to share, that it would be best simply to create a gallery and provide a little commentary to provide a flavor for the move.

• 1. The day the stuff I was moving left. All my planning and preparation resulted in what was going and what wasn't. Everything that was making the move with me had been staged into two rooms, the first thing to be loaded were those items that were going straight into storage short-term, and the second room contained those things I needed in the apartment. The next day, everything that didn't go into the pods was cleared out and donated.
• 2-4. Fullerton Amtrak station on the day of my departure. Of course, when the freight train passed by with OOCL containers on it, I had to include them.
• 5. Arizona Mesa
• 6. Albuquerque, NM train station - one with a little style
• 7. Lamy, NM station - I couldn't resist the decorations.
• 8. Near Fort Osage Township, MO
• 9. Crossing the Mississippi river from Iowa into Illinois - we had a well-wisher waving as we hurtled by.
• 10. Amtrack, Chicago - where I felt like I might have dropped into a holiday gone wrong type of movie, but all was well in the end.
• 11. Entering West Virginia and nearly to my destination.
• 12. White Sulphur Springs Station - Cutest station on my route and where I got off.
• 13. My friends met me at the station and we loaded up the Grand Cherokee—AFTER they found me, because everyone else got off the train at the front, but they had me depart the train at the back. (I had stored luggage that had to be taken off the train.) We had quite the load.
• 14. But not ALL of the stuff was mine. While waiting to pick me up, they wandered into one of the boutique stores in town and just had to get the Christmas tree with bears climbing on it. I would have done the same.
• 15. The first thing I saw when I walked into my new apartment. My friends had been busy readying the apartment while I was traveling across the country.
• 16. My festive shower curtain. There is a light over the shower/tub so the fireplace glows when the light is on.
• 17-18. My view through my windows. My place in CA looked out on a parking lot and all I could see from my bedroom window was the apartments behind me. I am reveling in having trees and grass outside and enjoy watching the hills.
• 19. Still from my windows, but at night so you can see the lights from the space needle and the skybridge.
• 20. After my initial visit with my new doctor, we went for a ride, and had just been discussion how unlikely it would be to see any bears this time of year, when a bear family came through the woods, crossed in front of our car, and continued up the hill. I'm sure they came out just to welcome me.
• 21. It's not a holiday unless I decorate, so my fridge quickly took on some holiday cheer.
• 22. My stuff arrived from CA and the place is starting to take on a homey feel.
• 23. Essentials for any writer.
• 24. My living room rug with an Amish made cherry wood cedar chest.
• 25. My Christmas Day rainbow.
• 26. The space needle decorated as a Christmas tree (and I caught the flashing star on top)
• 27. Just because I love the shadows on my wall at night.
• 28-33. The fireworks display at the space needle. I have the perfect apartment for viewing.

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I’m a believer in change through intention and taking things one day at a time. I set goals … I don’t make resolutions because those can be broken, whereas a goal is something you continue to strive toward until you achieve it. But even with that, I couldn’t settle on ONE idea to strive toward in the new year. Until this year. And it’s a phrase I’ll focus on to get me through 2019.

Don’t Mess with the Ness

I received this cup for Christmas from my friend, mentor, and agent, Italia Gandolfo. And it is a perfect phrase for me to focus on in 2019. Maybe for life … although Be the Cat! is my lifetime mantra. Why is the phrase so perfect? Well, I happen to be working on a Middle Grade novel where one of the characters is fashioned after Nessie. But for me it goes beyond the character to the whole mythos of the Loch Ness Monster.

The Loch Ness Monster is one of the most debunked myths around, and yet the myth persists. So as someone who deals in worlds that exist only in my head, yet are so real to me, the persistence of the myth is comforting. Nessie stands the test of time — which is my goal for everything I write. And you don’t mess with Nessie … debunk him over here, and he’ll pop up over there thumbing his nose (snout?) at you. Although, I doubt he has any thumbs either … but you get the idea. No matter how many times it has been “proven” he doesn’t exist, he has continued to make appearance after appearance throughout history.

I had read an article based on busting the sentiment you can’t prove a negative and the article author used Nessie as part of their example of destroying the logic — which in my opinion he failed to do. It was an opinon piece and facts were absent. At any rate, his theory was that all we’d have to do to prove there is no Loch Ness Monster was to drain the Loch Ness. He does have a point.

IF the Loch Ness were drained AND no monster was found, we might conclude the monster doesn’t exist … but I’m not sure that would rate as iron-clad proof either. Because with as many years as there have been sightings of Nessie, there also have been periods of time where there were no sightings. Wouldn’t it be a logical presumption that the monster might reside in the Loch Ness for some of the time, but not all the time?

Now, I’m not arguing for the existence or not of a specific Loch Ness monster, but more that the idea is still possible that one might exist. Where there is the remotest possibility, then there is hope … and hope and faith together is a potent combination. The type of thing that can move mountains. But how does this tie to the year ahead?

2018 had some very good moments, but 2019 is going to be even better. During 2018, I made strides health-wise to be stronger and while I’m still a long way from where I want to be, I’m moving forward. Same with my writing. Little baby steps at a time is what is going to get me to where I want to be, and I have hope, no matter what the actual probability is, that I will achieve my goals, and I am moving forward in faith that I am on the right path and doing my life’s work. So don’t tell me probabilities or statistics — don’t try to sway me with facts.

Unless you’ve drained not only the Loch Ness and the rest of the Lochs and other bodies of water around the world, there is still a possibility, however improbable, Nessie exists. And if the possibility exists, then there is hope, and I will believe I will get stronger, healthier, and the path I’m on will take me to the destination I desire.

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So what are my goals? I have picked 3 big goals to strive toward, and they are interconnected.

I’ll bet you were thinking you’d see a list of writing related goals, right? I look at my list, and that IS exactly what I see.

2014 was a roller-coaster year for me and because things were so up and down and sometimes upside-down, I fretted over things. I’m not much of a worrier … never have been … but 2014 threw me off balance and I fretted about things I couldn’t control as well as things I could. This is my number one goal to achieve because I don’t like chafing against life. When I’m busy fussing about things, I don’t have my full concentration focused on what I need to — which is the writing. Especially when what I’m fretting about IS the writing. While undergoing chemo this past year, I didn’t create any story from scratch. I worked on edits and rewrites, but didn’t create anything new. I didn’t have it in me. So when it came time to pick up a new work, I had twisted myself into knots because I didn’t know whether I had anything inside to give to the writing process. I had been away from creation for too long. Had I lost my ability? Thankfully I have found that is not the case, but for a while, I managed to spiral to a point where I was locked up.

So how will I fret less? By focusing on improving my health (see goal 3). Regular exercise helps to burn up some of the nervous energy I was using to fret and fuss, and it also helps to stimulate the writing brain and unlocks the answers I need to keep the work flowing. Improving my eating habits will make me feel better overall, and when I’m feeling well, I whine less. And, even though I hate to admit this one, working on better sleep habits will help to reduce stress levels, and will allow me to cope better with both the things I cannot control as well as the ones I can.

Another linchpin to fretting less is engaging more (see goal 2). Throughout the bulk of 2014 I was, necessarily through my circumstances, a hermit. My life scope narrowed to life inside the four walls of my home. My commute was across the landing from the bedroom to my office. Some of my social muscles atrophied during this period of my life because I simply didn’t have the energy. Which was fine for then, but not moving forward. The narrowness of life meant my attention was not occupied with outside issues, but only with my own. Not a mentally healthy way to be. I’d rather focus on what I can do for others than on my own situation … so I need to get back to that. Truthfully, I need to expand my circle. I know quite a few people, and it is easy to get complacent, but it is time to open up and engage with others beyond my own little sphere — stimulate my mind — and through expanding my horizons, I will have less time and energy to focus on self and fretting about what I should/should not have done.

One additional thing that will help me stop fretting — writing itself. When I sit down, open the WIP (Work In Progress), and my fingers fly trying to keep up with how I’m receiving a scene, I’m at my best and happiest. The best way I can describe it is to say it is like breathing … when everything is right, there is no effort, you don’t think about the mechanics of taking a breath, you simply do and refresh your body with oxygen. But when you can’t breathe well because you have pneumonia, getting enough oxygen is a problem, you have to focus on getting enough air, and the process is labored. Then when it clears, you have a new appreciation for the ability to breathe without effort. When everything is going right with the writing, I relax, take a deep breath, and create.

I have already put things in motion to help me achieve my 2015 goals. For example, with my day job working with a lot of computer work, doing some programming type of functions, and writing well into the night, I found I was sitting far too much. My back was paying the price. And when my back is not happy, my ability to exercise is less, which makes everything get caught in a vicious cycle. So, I have already implemented an adjustable desk at the work place so I can stand, which I do most of the day, and sit when I need to. 2015 will see a change to my home office writing setup to include the same type of thing. My plan is to take things one little hurdle at a time and by building on each successive achievement, by the end of 2015 I will have met my larger goals.

So it is time to say good-bye to 2014. In many ways, though there have been significant challenges, 2014 was a good year. I ushered in the year by signing with the fabulous Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin Literary Management, to manage my career. I finished 6 months worth of chemo and remain in full remission. Italia gave me the opportunity to pair up with Luke Matthews to coauthor a children’s chapter book, Timmy and the Golden Lion Tamarin which sold to True North Publishing for release in 2015. So despite the challenges I faced, 2014 has set the bar high for good things to come. Now, as with every year, I face the new year with anticipation. The seeds sown in 2014 are going to bloom in 2015 and I am ready to do the reaping.

2014 was a wild ride. And I see 2015 lurking around the corner ready to leap into action and push me to my limits. 2015 is the steep mountain I climbed throughout 2014 and the only way forward is to fly. All I have to say is “Bring it, 2015. I got this.”

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May the fleas of a thousand camels infest the crotch of the person who screws up your day and may their arms be too short to scratch…

This saying reminds me of how Monica looks at life. She is a take-no-prisoners, no-holds-barred kind of person. Her mind is sharp, intuitive, and she possesses one of the most wicked talents in writing I have ever run across and she has the wicked wit to match. I met Monica online through the #wipfire hashtag and I promptly fell in love with the writing. Watch this one because she is a rising star, which as soon as she reaches the launchpad is going to take off like a rocket. She has a way of asking a question (especially when I’m unbalanced) and all of a sudden, perspective is gained, and I am able to continue on with the writing with greater clarity. She has amazing knowledge and I want to soak up as much from her as I can.

Linda on the other hand is one of the few online friends met outside of Twitter. She and I met through an independent book review I review for. She posted her book Along Came a Demon and requested a review, and I read, reviewed, and LOVED it, and a friendship was born. Linda and I support one another through all of the trials of putting our books out in the best shape possible. We have laughed, cried, and screamed together, cajoled one another through the rough patches, celebrated in the good times, and mourned in sorrow. (By the way, in the pic, I’m the pup not paying attention to what’s going on with my tongue lolling out.) I have enjoyed watching Linda grow as a writer and was perhaps even more excited than she was when she was approached by an agent wanting to rep her Whisperings series. We are definitely in this thing called the writing game together.

So when the time came for me to plan vacation for 2010 and the original plan included a trip to Washington, I kept looking at the map and decided that Utah where Linda lives wasn’t too far out of the way, I’d make sure I stopped by to meet her in person. Then, as my friendship with Monica grew, I knew fitting her in to the vacation would be a simple thing because she lives in the town where my dad grew up, and I would be visiting relatives in the area. We had a wonderful weekend hanging out together, talking about writing, wandering around soaking in inspiration, and actually doing some writing (Monica insisted). The memories will be cherished – and I thought my cheeks might break from laughing and smiling so much. After the weekend with Monica, I drove to visit Linda and loved wandering around the town on which she has based her fictional town for her paranormal mystery series. Of course, Linda may have panicked a bit when she almost got a house guest for a longer period of time than expected when I fell on her deck and twisted my ankle. Well, twisted is probably being nice… I ripped the ligaments to shreds. But I was able to ice and had some ace bandages with me to wrap the ankle with, so I moved on as planned.

I could go on and on (but I hear their groans about the length already). Both of these women mean more to me than words can say. They enrich my life, and I don’t know how I would have survived the past year without them.

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There are so many words I could use to describe Eisley Jacobs (@EisleyJacobs) it’s not funny. It’s not a question of just where to start, but how to trim down. I could start with good-hearted, but that doesn’t come close. She is sweet, funny, devout, dedicated, enthusiastic, talented, wise, warm, caring… do you see what I mean? The list could go on and on. It’s even hard to say which of those characteristics (and by no means is that a complete list) I can say I cherish most about her. I was drawn to Eisley online for her optimism and enthusiasm. Always there with support for anyone who is struggling. Unafraid to question, and once an idea hits, she’s off like a rocket to fulfill her dreams. Eisley is currently in Ethiopia helping World Vision help the people of Ethiopia. She went to a church meeting one night, came back and announced she was going, raised the funds, and has been increasing in excitement ever since. I know she is blessing the life of everyone she comes in contact with, and I’m excited to hear her stories upon her return. Eisley sponsors a child in Ethiopia as well, but unfortunately she was unable to meet her this trip. Eisley shows this same enthusiasm for her writing projects, and has three fiction projects in various stages at the moment, one proposal for a non-fiction venture which is still waiting on a response, and the one which makes me smile probably the most; she will shortly launch her middle grade novel, Dragons Forever. Her love of this project has been evident all along the way and I have enjoyed hearing about reader feedback and how it has warmed her heart. I met Eisley at the now legendary RMFW conference, and if possible Eisley is even MORE in person than she is online. A true force of nature and I love and respect this woman more than I can say.

I first met Betty Viola Blue (@bettyviolablue) through the #wipfire hashtag. I have to say I was intrigued by her writing prowess, and that she wrote about demons in heaven and angels in hell helped to pique my interest. As good as she was when I first ran across her writing, Betty’s writing has improved and I have enjoyed watching her evolve as a writer. And I can’t think of too many people I’d rather have looking over my posted lines – her eye is keen, and her advice is always on the mark. I was a little confused at first when Jane Kindred (@JaneKindred) popped up periodically and made a statement I expected from Betty. It turns out Jane is Betty’s alter-ego and writing name, and I think Betty gets a little confused from time to time on which account she’s using. Now I just laugh when that happens. For the remainder of this post, I’ll refer to Jane as Betty because that is how I know her best, and since I met Betty/Jane at the same time in person, it will be easier. Online Betty can be a little quiet, popping in to make a comment, or (what’s even more fun) rant at life, and then will disappear to make the most fabulous baked goods known to man kind. She has half the Twitter population drooling with her descriptions. I first met Betty when I took a much needed, rambling vacation this past summer. Since I would be passing by San Francisco in my rambles, I thought it would be a shame not to meet Betty as I passed through. I am so glad I did. We met at a tea house, which had recently removed a car from its front window, and had a wonderful conversation about writing, editing, chasing the dream, and in general life’s obstacles. Betty is an absolute DOLL!!! When I made the decision to go the the RMFW conference, Betty was one of the first people I thought about cajoling into attending, so I could see her again and spend more time with her. One of my favorite memories from the conference was watching/listening to Betty speak Russian – it still makes me smile. During the conference Betty kept trying to find out whether her dream agent, Sara Megibow, was in attendance. Unfortunately she was not. But it turned out not to matter, because after the conference Betty resubmitted her work to Sara and is now repped by her dream agent. I couldn’t be happier for her. Betty has been working toward this dream relentlessly, and she has the talent that deserves to be recognized. And I for one feel my life is enriched by knowing her and can’t imagine being a writer without her in my life.

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As I was getting to know Branli, I noticed he would frequently communicate with someone named @snowppl and for some reason, @snowppl was to blame for something… well, everything. So I started peeping in on the conversation periodically and learned that @snowppl was actually Andrew Turner or Drew. I noticed that any time Branli racketed around the countryside, Drew was by his side. I became convinced they were actually Siamese twins separated at birth and virtually connected at the hip. Which made my first meeting with Branli highly unusual, because he came to meet me without Drew at his side, practically unheard of. Branli and Drew refer to themselves as each others non-romantic life partner, and their friendship is strong. I think they are good for one another because each helps to support the other through times of crisis and pushes them to strengthen areas where they may be weak. Drew has a caustic wit, and will leave you in stitches during the course of a conversation. He is a wonderful person to be around and one of the best huggers I know. Once he gains a little self-confidence, Drew is going to be unstoppable.

I feel blessed to have both of these gentlemen in my life, especially since they are close enough for us to get together a few times a year.

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I first met J Koyanagi (@JKoyanagi) online through the #wipfire hashtag, where we post lines from our current WIP (work in progress). The first thing I learned about J was that she had some of the most beautiful descriptive writing I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Her imagery is so vivid it can hurt (and I mean that in a completely complimentary way). Her sensitivity to nature and the beauty which surrounds us is so developed and she has the ability to turn the phrase so well, I am in awe. She is truly an aesthete (and not the pretentious kind). J’s feedback on others writing is also well-considered and thought out. Her eyes on your work is definitely an asset. So I was very pleased when I heard she would also be attending the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Conference in Denver. J is just as true in person as she is online, and someone who experiences life at a seemingly different level from the masses – and this is a good thing. The other thing about J is that the great love of her life is her doberman, Esper. I love the pictures of Esper which are posted and the way J talks about her. She is family, just as my pups are family to me.

J’s roommate at the conference was someone I had the pleasure of meeting in person before when she attended SCBWI in Los Angeles. I first met Carolina Valdez Miller (@cvaldezmiller) online at the #amwritingparty offering wine and snacks (cheese and crackers maybe?) Carol is an absolute doll. She is hard-working, dedicated to her craft, and does some of the best Vlog’s I’ve seen. So if you haven’t seen them, you should hop on over to her website to view. Carol also write the young adult genre like I do, but we are at opposite ends of the spectrum. She writes for older YA and I write for the younger. She writes urban fantasy and I don’t even understand what that means (just kidding). I write contemporary realism. While it was good to see her for the couple hours out here in Los Angeles, I really enjoyed the time we were able to spend together in Denver. We talked, laughed, commiserated, cajoled, encouraged. She is determined to make it in this business and she will. A very talented writer, and wonderfully supportive friend. A dynamic combination.

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Dawn blew into town on the night before the conference and joined the group for a bit as we all chatted about our travel, and which sessions were most important for us to attend. Dawn had her plan all mapped out and once the conference began, she executed her plan… which meant we barely saw her after that, or at least I saw her here and there, but didn’t get much of a chance to chat with her.

Frankie wasn’t actually attending the conference, but lived somewhere in the Denver greater metropolitan area, and she came by for pie after the first night. I tend to be the clueless one, and I didn’t even know what was going on until ordered to go have pie with Frankie. Well, I had coffee, but the group had a great time chatting and Frankie quickly became a member of the crew. So much so, that we snuck her in to the hospitality suite the next night. Shhhh – don’t tell anyone she was there.

Right up front, I’ll tell you that the graphic adorning this post was selected specifically because of Mireyah Wolfe. It reminded me soooo much of her, I had to use it. I really enjoyed meeting this fireball from podunk Louisiana and she made the conference memorable in more ways than one. Mires, as she is also called, kept threatening to go up in flames if she crossed the threshold of a church (which I for one wanted to see), and although the youngest of the group, definitely held her own in the conversations. One of my favorite memories (sorry Mireyah) is when she tried Sushi for the very first time. The facial expressions were priceless. Suffice it to say, Sushi is not going to be high on her list of favorite foods for quite some time. But what I admired was her determination to try the food, and to experience life. Plus, she now gets to use the experience in her writing. I can’t wait to see how.

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For example, we travel to and from work with Eve and know if there are any shady characters with her on the train. We also know when the bosses decide to to the unthinkable and actually give her stuff to work on. They should KNOW she has writing work to do that has NOTHING to do with the firm. What are they thinking, anyway… oh wait, they pay Eve for the pleasure of interrupting her writing time. Hmmmm. I guess we can’t complain too loudly then.

And Veronica – Just when you think she’s not around and hasn’t been paying attention to the stream flowing past her, she pops up. It makes me laugh almost every time. She either has a cogent question in response to the post, or has something snarky to say. You just have to love this girl.

I’m so glad I had the opportunity to get to know them at the conference and for them to join our growing Twitter family.

Addendum: One other person at the conference was Linda Baggus (@LindaBaggus), who is very sweet, and very enthusiastic about her writing. She just joined Twitter not too long ago, and needs to get more involved so give her a shout the next time you’re online.

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I was unable to attend the SCBWI (Society of Children’s Book Writers & Illustrators) conference in Los Angeles this year due to scheduling conflicts, but I did manage to make the dash up to LA to meet some of my twitter friends because their closeness and the opportunity was not to be missed. In doing so, I was able to briefly meet Jessica Love (@_JessicaLove) and earmarked her twitter ID for future stalking … I mean … following. It was a brief meeting, but one of these days as time permits, I’d like to meet up with Jessica again, because I do like to be in touch with local writers. It is like breathing purified air when talking with local like-minded authors. Plus, I love supporting them in their endeavors.

Along with Jessica, I briefly met Heather Trese (@HeatherTrese). Unfortunately the meeting of Heather was brief because conferences can get crazy and she needed to get something to eat – foiled by another scheduling issue. I know I’ll have the chance to meet Heather again. Maybe at a conference we BOTH attend in the future. I’d love the chance to sit and talk with her for a while.

In my early days of Twitter, while I was trying to figure out how this social networking thing worked, I ran across the #amwritingparty hashtag. This is where Twitter really started to gel for me and I came to meet some of the most amazing people I know. I met the creator of the #amwritingparty hashtag, Sara McClung (@saramcclung) at SCBWI Los Angeles. In fact, she was one of the people I specifically drove there to meet. Sara is a great cheerleader for writers online, giving words of encouragement to others and leading by example of getting the job done. She’s not online as frequently as she used to be because she is focused on getting her own work honed until it shines.

And last (for this post anyway) and in no way least, I met up with Janelle Alexander (@JanelleAlexandr), another local S. CA writer, in a Starbucks for coffee and writing. Janelle and I have frequently talked about putting together a writer’s retreat (one where actual writing is done, so anyone who reads this who is going to attend KNOWS we WILL be writing) and ONE OF THESE DAYS we are going to make it happen. Maybe 2011 is our year. Janelle loves meeting up with other local writers, so if you’re in the area, you should give her a shout.

The post The People of 2010 – Part II appeared first on Be the Cat.

For me the BEST of 2010 was the people I had the opportunity to meet in person. So these posts (I had to break them up, or they’d go on forever) will focus on the people I knew online, but had the opportunity to meet in person. Meetings which further cemented the friendships already formed.

I’m going to start with the most recently met and go from there. Last night, the wonderful Kimberly Kinrade and her man, Dmytry Karpov had a New Year’s Eve party for local Twitter friends. An intimate gathering of people, most of whom were meeting in person for the first time. And as I have found in the past, when the people who know each other from Twitter get together, there are no awkward silences, no wondering who this person is and what to say to them, you just jump right in and pick up the conversation.

At this gathering, I got to meet a few new people who I have now added to my followers list. Starting with Sean Vessey (@SeanOTD) who flew out from Virginia for the party. Well… all right… he flew out to visit relatives, and since he was here was able to attend the party, but I like the first version better. Sean is a quiet, teddy-bear kinda guy, who watches and enjoys (and as writers don’t we all do that from time to time?) A real sweetheart.

Another first time connection for me was Charles and the talented Lisette Brodey (@LisetteBrodey) who has a couple of books out on Amazon.com, Crooked Moon (general fiction) and Squalor, New Mexico (young adult fiction) which I will add to my reading list. We talked a little about books and more about Twitter and followers, and as always it is a pleasure meeting like-minded people.

Ranee Dillon (@RaneeDillon), whom I previously met online, is a hoot and a half. She chirpy-chats just like her twitter tweets and she has a delightful laugh. When I think of Ranee, I think of poetry, because she is one in my stream who tweets and retweets poetry, which when you catch as it flits pass is always a day brightener. She is tingly heart-goodness personified.

And of course, there were the hosts Kimberly Kinrade (@KimberlyKinrade) and Dmytry Karpov (@DmytryKarpov). I met Dmytry online first as he wandered through the Twitterverse getting to know folks. Then he disappeared from my view for a bit and came back full of love for the beautiful Kimberly Kinrade. It was at his suggestion that I started following Kimberly. Their story has been epically tweeted and they have a love blog about their story if you’d like to find out more. Suffice it to say, that although the original plan was for the two of them to be together for a couple weeks prior to the party, Dmytry didn’t actually arrive until yesterday. The two were very happy to be together after their enforced separation.

2010 was a year of meeting some incredible people. With some the relationship is still new and forming, like those mentioned above, others have become entrenched in my heart. For me, spending 2010 with people I had not met in person before, but knew online was a fitting way to see the year out, because my brightest moments of 2010 were primarily made up of meeting people in real life whom I had made my friends. And while there were others at the party, I have plans to talk about them later in this series.

The post The People of 2010 – Part I appeared first on Be the Cat.