Hello all! I am very happy to be here today, a part of this wonderful group of writers. I'm new to Casablanca and before I start will give you all a quick intro.
In the writing world I'm known as Juliana Stone. (you can find out more about me HERE) I love to read, write, am a huge fan of music and on occasion I sneak out and sing in a classic rock band with my husband on guitar. I love baseball, hockey, and golf, have the best girlfriends in the world and a dog and cat who rock! That's the quick look!
Now, on to my post. It's nearing the back end of 2012 and at this time of the year, I usually look back and contemplate all the things I accomplished and the ones I didn't exactly get done. For me personally, 2012 was a year of transition. A year when I made some big changes that (at the time) I wasn't 100 percent sure would work out, but sometimes you gotta go with your gut and just do it!
Some of the things that rocked my 2012:
-I parted ways with my first ever agent. The lady who sold the first book I ever wrote and the one who, in a way, is responsible for my writing career. I say this because at the time I wasn't exactly sure I could be a writer but she saw something in my paranormal manuscript and so did an editor! Parting ways with her was scary but for me something I needed to do.
-the day job thing was getting harder. I've done things differently than a lot of writers. When I sold my first book in 2008 I was a stay at home mom. I went back to work after, a part time gig, which grew to basically full time. As the years have progressed and my writing became more important to me, I found I was starting to spread myself thin. So, in late November I made the decision to quit and become a full time writer and I can`t even tell you how amazing that feels!
-I decided to test the waters of self pubbing and in October I released OFFSIDE, book 1 in my Barker Triplets series. OFFSIDE is a fun book, a hockey book, but one that features a female hot shot player! I can tell you the book was inspired by events that happened in my own little town :-)
-I also decided to strike off another goal on my list from the previous year and write a YA. I have always wanted to write a book that my daughter could read, and armed with an idea I wrote a proposal. I sent that contemporary YA proposal to a few agents, both of the editors I work with and in the space of a few weeks I landed a new agent whom I adore, Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency, and we sold to Sourcebooks Fire in a pre-empt! WOOT! Back to Good will be released in May 2014 and I can`t even tell you how happy that made me!
-On a personal level, my son got his G1 (I`m Canuk so in Canada this means his learners permit) The fact that I now have a child who is old enough to drive is well, FREAKY.
Now I`m looking ahead to 2012 and all the good things coming my way. New releases and the debut of my contemporary romance series, Bad Boys of Crystal Lake, right here with Sourcebooks. Look for book 1, THE SUMMER HE CAME HOME, in April! (by clicking the title you can read an exclusive excerpt)
Sometimes the best place to find love is right back where you started…
Falling asleep in a different bed every night has made it easy for Cain Black to forget his past. It’s been ten years since he packed his guitar and left Crystal Lake to chase his dreams. Now tragedy has forced him home again. And though Cain relishes the freedom of the road, one stolen moment with Maggie O’Rourke makes him wonder if he’s missing out on something bigger than fame.
For Maggie—single mother and newly settled in Crystal Lake—love is a luxury she just can’t afford. Sure, she appreciates the tall, dark and handsome looks of prodigal son Cain Black. But how long can she expect the notorious hellion to stay?
The last thing either of them wants is something complicated. But sometimes love has its own plans.
To celebrate this cool event, I have one signed ARC left to give away right now! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what was the most important accomplishment or goal you reached in 2012, OR what is the thing you want most to happen in the coming year.... I will pick a winner on Sunday, December 30th!
In the writing world I'm known as Juliana Stone. (you can find out more about me HERE) I love to read, write, am a huge fan of music and on occasion I sneak out and sing in a classic rock band with my husband on guitar. I love baseball, hockey, and golf, have the best girlfriends in the world and a dog and cat who rock! That's the quick look!
Now, on to my post. It's nearing the back end of 2012 and at this time of the year, I usually look back and contemplate all the things I accomplished and the ones I didn't exactly get done. For me personally, 2012 was a year of transition. A year when I made some big changes that (at the time) I wasn't 100 percent sure would work out, but sometimes you gotta go with your gut and just do it!
Some of the things that rocked my 2012:
-I parted ways with my first ever agent. The lady who sold the first book I ever wrote and the one who, in a way, is responsible for my writing career. I say this because at the time I wasn't exactly sure I could be a writer but she saw something in my paranormal manuscript and so did an editor! Parting ways with her was scary but for me something I needed to do.
-the day job thing was getting harder. I've done things differently than a lot of writers. When I sold my first book in 2008 I was a stay at home mom. I went back to work after, a part time gig, which grew to basically full time. As the years have progressed and my writing became more important to me, I found I was starting to spread myself thin. So, in late November I made the decision to quit and become a full time writer and I can`t even tell you how amazing that feels!
-I decided to test the waters of self pubbing and in October I released OFFSIDE, book 1 in my Barker Triplets series. OFFSIDE is a fun book, a hockey book, but one that features a female hot shot player! I can tell you the book was inspired by events that happened in my own little town :-)
-I also decided to strike off another goal on my list from the previous year and write a YA. I have always wanted to write a book that my daughter could read, and armed with an idea I wrote a proposal. I sent that contemporary YA proposal to a few agents, both of the editors I work with and in the space of a few weeks I landed a new agent whom I adore, Sara Megibow of Nelson Literary Agency, and we sold to Sourcebooks Fire in a pre-empt! WOOT! Back to Good will be released in May 2014 and I can`t even tell you how happy that made me!
-On a personal level, my son got his G1 (I`m Canuk so in Canada this means his learners permit) The fact that I now have a child who is old enough to drive is well, FREAKY.
Now I`m looking ahead to 2012 and all the good things coming my way. New releases and the debut of my contemporary romance series, Bad Boys of Crystal Lake, right here with Sourcebooks. Look for book 1, THE SUMMER HE CAME HOME, in April! (by clicking the title you can read an exclusive excerpt)
Sometimes the best place to find love is right back where you started…
Falling asleep in a different bed every night has made it easy for Cain Black to forget his past. It’s been ten years since he packed his guitar and left Crystal Lake to chase his dreams. Now tragedy has forced him home again. And though Cain relishes the freedom of the road, one stolen moment with Maggie O’Rourke makes him wonder if he’s missing out on something bigger than fame.
For Maggie—single mother and newly settled in Crystal Lake—love is a luxury she just can’t afford. Sure, she appreciates the tall, dark and handsome looks of prodigal son Cain Black. But how long can she expect the notorious hellion to stay?
The last thing either of them wants is something complicated. But sometimes love has its own plans.
To celebrate this cool event, I have one signed ARC left to give away right now! All you have to do is leave a comment telling me what was the most important accomplishment or goal you reached in 2012, OR what is the thing you want most to happen in the coming year.... I will pick a winner on Sunday, December 30th!
Welcome to Sourcebooks! They are fast becoming my favorite publisher. I followed your original series, so when I saw that you were writing a suspense without the paranormal aspects I got excited!
ReplyDeletetemptnfate13 at Yahoo dot com
This is great! I love your cover!! I quit my job to write full time also, and am loving it!!! Congrats and welcome to Sourcebooks!
ReplyDeleteAh, thanks so much Misty. I have to tell you that I absolutely loved writing this contemporary romance, different than the paranormals for sure!
ReplyDelete@Terry Spear. Thanks so much and um, yes, I was very happy with this cover and can't wait to unleash the other two in this series :-)
ReplyDeleteWelcome! As someone who has also parted with my first agent, though years ago, I agree it was tough. I am so happy with my new agents though!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to Sourcebooks! And congratulations on becoming a full time writer. It's a great job!
ReplyDeleteIn 2012 I got word that I'd sold two more women's fiction books (Sourcebooks)and even more cowboys. It was a "very good year" as the song says.
I think mine was starting a blog. I've been scared to do anything like it but when my family kept pushing me, I finally relented and I think it's the biggest thing I've done in a long time.
ReplyDelete@Carey
ReplyDeletea blog is a huge commitment, kudos for you on diving in!
I'm another author who has switched agents, and yes, it's hard. You're in good hands with Sara, though, and in good company with us.
ReplyDeleteAnd it sounds like another driver in the family might be a good thing, because Mom's sure busy with the writing.
Welcome!
I think that it was holding the family together while my husband was spending time abroad on work. It was a bit of a stretch since he and I specialise in different things for the family. The kids still tried to ask him science and math questions via Skype, though.
ReplyDeletelittle lamb lst at yahoo dot com
I cleaned the whole house and organized everything.
ReplyDeletebn100candg(at)hotmail(dot)com
In the coming year I would love to really take control of my health and hopefully inspire the rest of my family to do the same as well. Also try to not to get so stressed over every little thing at work.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year!!!
yadkny@hotmail.com
I would like in the new year to get my house really, really clean and everything put in its proper place! Not easy to do with 2 dogs and a 16 yr old granddaughter in the house!! Congrats on the book, it looks awesome and I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDeletemlawson17 at hotmail dot com
That i checked off two things off my bucketlist. Skydiving and such I wish for next year to really have some luck . I had an awesome year. I do wish i win this or something then check that off too. Winning a contest/sweepstakes lol
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your sales and your first ever blog on Casablanca! Looks great!
ReplyDeleteCleaning and getting organized seems to be a popular goal. :-)
ReplyDeleteThanks everyone for playing along! Using the randomizer Martha Lawson has won a copy of my ARC!! I wish all of you a wonderful New Year and let's hope 2013 rocks!
ReplyDelete