This past year has been a crazy, incredible one. My life has changed dramatically and in ways I never thought it would. Given that it’s the last day of 2012, I thought I’d recap some of the awesome things that have happened to me in 2012 in the hopes that you’ll comment and share some of the fantastic things that happened to you.
- I bought a Kindle and started reading YA. This changed my life and shifted my focus in writing. I read 60 books this year – only two weren’t on the Kindle. Best buy ever.
- I moved cities. I’ve moved continents, twice, in the last 5 years so making the move from one city, 300km south to the capital, shouldn’t have been a big deal. Any move is a big deal! Our move to Helsinki was unexpected and immediate but it has changed our lives for the better so was well worth all the stress.
- I got engaged to the boy who took my breath away five years ago at a nightclub in Johannesburg.
- My YA mythpunk novel was an Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award semi-finalist. I started querying this novel and four months later…
- I signed with my agent Jordy Albert! This was a huge step for me towards becoming the professional author I’d only ever dreamed of being.
- Two weeks before signing with Jordy, I signed with Etopia Press to publish Obscura Burning.
- My first YA and second ever novel was released – another pretty huge step for me.
- I found homes for more than ten short stories with fantastic publishers and even received a Pushcart Prize nomination for one of them.
- I joined twitter and met some amazing authors, agents, editors, readers, musicians and artists who have made my life richer and better in so many ways.
- I joined up with the YAtopia gang and started blogging in earnest.
- I became a part time dance teacher. I’ve learned so much from my grade 9 students, which has gone a long way helping me understand YA characters and perspectives.
- Tonight marks my first performance where I will be gyrating on stage as part of a Jamaican dancehall/reggaeton group – a style of dance I only started at the end of November.
My life has changed so much this year in so many positive and unexpected ways. If 2013 is half as good as 2012 then it will be a fantastic year indeed. Here’s wishing you all the best for 2013 and the happiest of New Years.
What are some of the positive, life changing events that happened to you in 2012?
