Acknowledging 2020 by Patty Blount

At the end of every novel, the author thanks a whole bunch of people in the Acknowledgements section. "The book couldn't have been written without the help of so many people."

I thought I'd do something similar for this post because even despite how awful this year has been, there is always something good to be thankful for. 

 First, my new agent... My last book release was in 2018 and since then, I've struggled to find any viable ideas for my next YA novel. I did, however, have an idea for a romantic suspense that I decided to write, even though it's not my genre. And you know what? It's good! Good enough to secure a new agent, who tells me it's good. 

Next, my fellow YA authors. I belong to the YARWA chapter of RWA, an organization for romance authors. I finally had the beginning of a new YA novel idea and was truly struggling with it. I reached out to my chapter for help and was honored when some amazing folks offered to brainstorm with me. The result? THE CHRISTMAS STRIKE, a young adult rom/com in which a teen with a Christmas birthday goes on strike against the holdays --er, holidaze -- with some help from her brother's college roommate. I hope to be able to share good news about both projects selling soon, so huge thanks to Shaila Patel, Katherine Fleet, Melissa Chambers, and Tambra Nicole Kendall for being so generous with their time. 

In addition, my Long Island writers' chapter has held my hand through a number of crises this year, including a death in the family and a cancer scare. Thank you, LIRW! 

So... yeah, I could tell you 2020 sucked from January to December but though it's been awful in many ways, there were still quite a few bright spots. Look for them. Shine the light on those, not on the blights. You'll feel better. Trust me.