YA Books:

1. Touch of Frost, Jennifer Estep
2. Tris & Izzie, Mette Ivie Harrison
3. The False Princess, Eilis O’Neal
4. Merlin’s Harp, Anne Eliot Crompton
5. Torn, Erica O’Rourke
6. The Name of the Star, Maureen Johnson
7. Juliet Immortal, Stacey Jay
8. Siren, Tricia Rayburn
9. Undercurrent, Tricia Rayburn
10. Entwined, Heather Dixon
11. Hourglass, Myra McEntire
12. Sherlock Holmes: Death Cloud, Andrew Lane
13. Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children, Ransom Riggs
14. Infinite Days, Rebecca Maizel
15. Prophecy of the Sisters, Michelle Zink
16. The Luxe, Anna Godbersen
17. Rumors, Anna Godbersen
18. Envy, Anna Godbersen
19. Splendor, Anna Godbersen
20. The Girl in the Steel Corset, Kady Cross
21. The Strange Case of Finley Jane, Kady Cross
22. Matched, Ally Condie
23. White Cat, Holly Black
24. Red Glove, Holly Black
25. Beastly, Alex Flinn
26. Intertwined, Gena Showalter
27. Ink Exchange, Melissa Marr
28. Fragile Eternity, Melissa Marr
29. The Agency: A Spy in the House, Y. S. Lee
30. The Agency: The Body at the Tower, Y. S. Lee
31. Heist Society, Ally Carter
32. Relic Master: The Dark City, Catherine Fisher
33. The Ghost and the Goth, Stacy Kade
34. The Eternal Ones, Kirsten Miller
35. Meridian, Amber Kizer
36. Torment, Lauren Kate
37. Passion, Lauren Kate
38. Blue Bloods, Melissa de la Cruz
39. Masquerade, Melissa de la Cruz
40. Revelations, Melissa de la Cruz
41. Van Alen Legacy, Melissa de la Cruz
42. Misguided Angel, Melissa de la Cruz
43. The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, E. Lockhart
44. The Hunt for the Unicorn, C. C. Humphreys
45. The Iron King, Julie Kagawa
46. Blood Magic, Tessa Gratton
47. The Candidates, Inara Scott
48. Prada & Prejudice, Mandy Hubbard
49. Girl Parts, John Cusick
50. Incarceron, Catherine Fisher
51. Sapphique, Catherine Fisher
52. Die For Me, Amy Plum
53. Mirrormask, Neil Gaiman
54. Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
55. Glass Houses, Rachel Caine
56. Another Faust, Daniel Nayeri
57. Another Pan, Daniel Nayeri
58. Nightshade, Andrea Cremer
59. Sisters Red, Jackson Pearce
60. Wondrous Strange, Lesley Livingston
61. Darklight, Lesley Livingston
62. Tempestuous, Lesley Livingston
63. The Liar Society, Lisa and Laura Roecker
64. Revolution, Jennifer Donnelly
65. The Thirteenth Princess, Diane Zahler
66. Princess Ben, Catherine Gilbert Murdock
67. Incantation, Alice Hoffman
68. Warped, Maurissa Guibord
69. Impossible, Nancy Werlin
70. Vixen, Jillian Larkin
71. Stork, Wendy Delsol
72. Tantalize, Cynthis Leitich Smith
73. A Great and Terrible Beauty, Libba Bray
74. Skinned, Robin Wasserman
75. Immortal Beloved, Cat Tiernan
76. Hex Hall, Rachel Hawkins
77. Shade, Jeri Smith-Ready
78. The Dark Divine, Bree Despain
79. The Lost Saint, Bree Despain
80. Chime, Franny Billingsley
81. Captivate, Carrie Jones
82. Entice, Carrie Jones
83. Ophelia, Lisa M. Klein
84. Before I Fall, Lauren Oliver
85. Fairy Tale, Cyn Balog
86. Interworld, Neil Gaiman
87. The Hollow, Jessica Verday
88. The Haunted, Jessica Verday
89. Ash, Malinda Lo
90. Going Bovine, Libba Bray
91. When You Reach Me, Rebecca Stead
92. If I Stay, Gayle Forman
93. Rampant, Diana Peterfreund
94. Ascendant, Diana Peterfreund
95. The Body Finder, Kimberly Derting
96. The Adoration of Jenna Fox, Mary E. Pearson
97. The Replacement, Brenna Yovanoff
98. The DUFF, Kody Keplinger
99. Bones of Faerie, Janni Lee Simner
100. Gone, Lisa McMann
101. The Mermaid’s Mirror, L. K. Madigan
102. Fire, Kristin Cashore
103. Magic Under Glass, Jackie Dolamore
104. Paranormalcy, Kiersten White

Adult Books:

1. The Night Circus, Erin Morgenstern
2. The Last Dickens, Matthew Pearl
3. A Discovery of Witches, Deborah Harkness
4. The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova
5. Dracula, My Love, Syrie James
6. The Magicians, Lev Grossman
7. Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
8. Sandman Slim, Richard Kadrey

Any of these look familiar? What did YOU read in 2011? Share your favorite reads in the comments!

The key, I think, to surviving both is being grateful for the good you have, even if it doesn’t seem as plentiful as you’d like. Chances are, if you start thinking about it, you’ll find you have more to be grateful for than you realize.

2011 was a year of ups and downs for me. There were some very low lows in my personal life, and some highs in my writing life, but now at the end of the year, both have settled down. Life is good–very good–even if I don’t have an agent yet. I’ve got a wonderful family, a supportive husband, great friends, a new job, and a killer group of crit partners. Even though there are still things I want, I’m overwhelmed by awesomeness.

I’m pretty sure my friends and family know how much I appreciate them (and if you don’t–well, take this as a big ole hint ), but I had the good fortune to benefit from the kindness of random strangers too.  Especially in the writing community. I’m incredibly grateful to know and be a part of such a supportive, creative, dynamic community. Writing is a solitary venture, and knowing others are out there online going through the same rollercoaster is comforting and often inspiring. One of my crit partners got a six-figure book deal this year. Another writing friend has a book coming out in March. Others took the plunge and self-published their novels. Each journey is very different, but all inspiring.

So I just wanted to say thanks. To those lovely people I know online and especially to the ones I don’t.

Yes, I know that sounds weird, but there’s nothing quite like the feeling of checking your inbox to find a long email from another writer who saw your work somewhere on the interwebs and took the time to say, Hey, that is an awesome idea/writing/pitch/trailer/etc. Or to see a new comment on your blog with a similar sentiment. CYBORG has drummed up some unexpected (and I can’t even begin to explain how much appreciated!) love from random people and it always seems to come at just the moment I feel a case of the “Am-I-Crazies?” coming on. I value my crit partners opinions because I know I can trust their feedback, but having someone without any agenda or responsibility to you take the time to do that is A-MAZ-ING. And humbling. Because they have lives too. And they have writing to do as well.

The timing of a whole cluster of these happened to be at the lowest point of the year, when my mom had a stroke. There was no way they could know that–it’s not something I talked about much since she’s mostly recovered–but if there was ever time this year I needed a boost, that was definitely it. It’s funny how things work out sometimes, isn’t it?

So in 2012, I want to give back more. Not books, not gift cards, or anything you can buy at a store, but warm fuzzies, encouragement, and general appreciation for other people’s awesomeness. I’ve been pretty wrapped up in my own world this year and it’s definitely time for me to be actively grateful. It’s all well and good to say you’re grateful, but what are you going to do about it?

Me? I’m going to share the love.

Happy New Year!

I got ambushed by a Shiny New Idea and wrote a new novel in six weeks during September and October.

Revisions? What revisions?

Anyway, Shiny New Idea, now known as MONSTROUS, was a total delight to write. Words were coming out my ears, like they were leaping from my head and onto the page.

This book is hands down the weirdest thing I’ve written to date. It’s Frankenstein meets The Brothers Grimm told from the viewpoint of the monster as a teenage girl. And there’s a lot of rule breaking going on too.  We’ll see how much survives the editing process, but they were definitely broken for a reason – to serve the story.

During all of NaNoWriMo, this book was calling to me from the folder on my computer, “edit me, edit me, EDIT ME NOW!”  In short, it was a huge distraction all month because my brain kept wandering back to the story and ways I can make it better. Now that it’s December, MONSTROUS is about to be back on the front burner again. Hopefully I’ll have a second draft completed by the end of the month!

Oh, and as part of my NaNoWriMo distraction campaign, I made a trailer for MONSTROUS when I should have been working on my NaNo book! Enjoy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K4dvlfCcirg

This was by far the toughest year for NaNoWriMo for me. Blackout, snowstorm, finishing old job, beginning new job, forcing myself to do a 180 on my sleeping habits – all these things had to happen in November.

Spread out, not a problem. All at once + NaNoWriMo = [Marcy's brain explodes]

But you know what, sometimes life just happens. Plus, I still got 34K words. And that’s not too shabby. It’s a lot more than I had on November 1. So while I “lost” NaNoWriMo, I’m not going to be too hard on myself. I definitely gave it my best shot and really, that’s all anyone can ask.

Even Chris Baty (founder of NaNoWriMo) agrees:

Wherever you are in your story, all of us here in the office are so proud of you for giving NaNoWriMo a shot in such a busy month. There is undeniable glory in reaching 50K, but there is greater glory in simply trying. In the midst of your hectic life, you made time to invent, explore, and dream. You tuned out those self-critical voices that make creative endeavors so daunting, and you brought an entire world into existence in just four weeks.

There’s really no failure possible here. Because you’ve already won.

Besides, there’s always next year

How was YOUR NaNoWriMo? Did you win? Lose? Share in the comments!

I’m beginning to think the month of November is out to get me. First a giant snowstorm and week-long blackout to kick off the month. Then a crazy week of trying to wrap up my former contracting job. Now this week starting a new job and commute and thus having to do a 180 on my sleep schedule. No more rolling out of bed at 9AM and walking across the hall to login to work. Now I get up a 6AM, drive to a train station, catch the commuter rail, then catch the subway and be at my desk in Boston’s theatre district by 9AM.

You know, just a wee bit different.

Not that I haven’t done it before (I did, for years. See my Adventures in Commuting series which might be starting up again!), but it definitely impacted my ability to function outside of the work hours and that means writing took a major hit. Though I will say that it is worth it–so far, my new job rocks. And it’s nice to have people to talk to instead of just my dogs snoring all day.

So, last week I caught up despite falling behind and figured this week would go smoothly. WRONG. I tried to write at least a little every day and I did, but it was only a few hundred words. By the time I sat down to write Saturday, I was 8,600 or so words behind.

Yeah, not chump change.

But I managed to write 4K that day and 3K more the next. I’m still a little behind, but it’s a lot more manageable, provided I keep writing my 1,667 each day if not more.

Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Yes, this is what we call the mid-month slump.

How do we fix it?

Take one withered writer, and add water. (Preferably the kind that’s hot and strained through coffee grinds.)

Or a fresh idea & inspiration. Either way.

In other words, STEP AWAY FROM THE COMPUTER for a few hours. Go outside and take a walk. Go to the museum. A concert. Get lost driving around. Or hey, why don’t you take a shower, you crazy, dirty writing machine? (You’ve been slacking on that hygiene–I can smell it from here!) Besides, showers often result in the best ideas. True story.

Plus, if you get back to writing and you still have the slumps, there’s always glorious caffeine. Here’s an entire catalog page of caffeinated snacks, just for your viewing (and eating) pleasure.

I am SO getting these:

So, how do YOU avoid the mid-month slumps?

And then…it wasn’t.

Because of the issues with electricity in week 1, I wasn’t able to complete preparations to finish the novel I started last year for NaNo, THE DEVIL IN THE DRAWING ROOM. So instead, I’ve been working on the sequel to CYBORG, MY SO-CALLED BIONIC LIFE. Despite having a detailed outline of the story, getting the words out was like pulling a mammoth out of a tar pit–tricky, messy, and really dang hard.

It took several days of slogging through words and not making goals to realize what the problem was: I’m too attached to the characters because it’s a sequel, so writing words I know are mostly crap just feels wrong. My heart literally wasn’t in it. I felt like those characters deserved better than hurriedly typed in words written to meet an insane deadline. I couldn’t do it knowing I was just going to delete them ALL later.

So what did I do? I took a couple days off from NaNoWriMo. In the middle of the month.

Generally not an advisable tactic. Luckily, once I got DEVIL wrangled and under control, I had a better idea of the direction I wanted to go with it and the words began to flow again. Now I’m finally caught up. Hopefully, I’ll gain a little ground next week!

So, how is YOUR NaNo going?

Since you can’t swallow an elephant whole, you may as well just take a bite. In other words, sectioning your manuscript can make it more manageable. This is why I love outlines, but if you’re a pantser you can still work scene by scene or chapter by chapter, just be careful not to wander into the never ending word vomit that doesn’t go anywhere, AKA the first circle of writing hell–Limbo.

You’ve got a long way to go and a month to do it, so don’t burn yourself out too fast. Work in bite sized pieces to accomplish small goals and keep your motivation for the big goal of crossing the finish line.

Most importantly, celebrate the completion of these small goals. Sometimes the words don’t come easy–that’s the day to have an extra piece of cake (or pie, or chocolate, or my favorite, coffee. Choose your poison, er, treat.).

Then we got a foot of snow on October 29.

Our power (and running water, and internet) was out for almost a week. The local Barnes & Noble cafe transformed into a high tech refugee camp. Even Halloween was canceled.

Needless to say, this was not an auspicious start to NaNoWriMo.

NaNo Day 1, I wrote 111 words on my iPhone out of desperation.

Day 2 was Take Your Freezing Mom to Work Day (AKA, the local B&N cafe, or the only place in town with working wifi). Humiliating hijinks ensued. I love my mom, but she can be chatty, so she was asked (nicely, I swear) not to talk my ear off all day while I attempted to work on the bogged down wifi network. At one point during the afternoon, the guy at the table next to us started talking about how we rely so heavily on our technology. He mentioned he was here to work on his novel which was about the ramifications of  just that. Plenty of creative inspiration abounded with the unwashed white collar masses camping out in the aisles of B&N, desperate to hook up to their company’s network or charge their Blackberry. He even took out a cover flat of his upcoming second novel (part of a multi-book deal! With Kensington! Totally legit, almost NYT bestselling author!) to show us.

Cool, right?

Unfortunately, she chose that moment to tell him I work for a company in Arizona and they don’t understand snow so I’m under a lot of pressure and she’s pretty sure he’s bothering me. And in the same breath, she told him I’m a writer, too.

Me: O.o

*dies*

…

*dies again*

…

*dies some more*

By Day 3 of NaNo we’d been without power for 4 days and finally managed to get a hotel room. With heat! And running water! And internet! And I wrote ALL THE WORDS. Well, almost. I was still behind, but I definitely made progress.

I finally caught up to where I needed to be on Day 5–just one day after we got our power back. Currently, my total is 10,171. It’s been quite a week! Hopefully, I’ll gain some momentum over the next few days.

So how goes your NaNo?