Running With Quills: LET'S GET NEW TOGETHER

Welcome to Running With Quills, your online newsletter designed to keep you up to date with what your favorite authors (that would be us) are doing throughout the year. Here you will find the release dates of our new books and get information about our backlists. We'll preview our cover art here long before the books hit the stores and we'll keep you informed about works-in-progress and special projects. You'll also receive advance notice of signings and appearances. From time to time we'll give you a peek at our worlds, tell you what we're reading, and introduce you to some new authors.

Sunday, December 31, 2006

LET'S GET NEW TOGETHER

New Year's Eve is my least favorite night of the year and I've finally figured out why. I don't like saying goodbye, I don't like false cheer, I don't like a lot of noise, I detest the very thought of kissing strangers--and won't, and I start thinking about previous beginnings of new years and remembering awful parties where hoards of people got drunk. Ew, then there was that year when the current male-of-my-dreams finally invited me out. It didn't take long to figure out that I was supposed to be his entertainment and afterward, the party would definitely be over. Shudder, shudder...

Think of the masquerade ball in Phantom of the Opera, pull a bit of silvery gray gauze over the image, and you'll have a facsimile of my memories of new years past.

BUT, this year I've finally got the night, right! Jerry and I have planned the perfect celebration. Before dinner, our neighbors will stop by and we will enjoy some good company. Our dinner will be hot veggie soup. Then we intend to watch a couple of episodes of AbFab (Absolutely Fabulous). After all the laughs AF gives us, a DVD English History lecture will get us in the mood to watch the Seattle Space Needle fireworks at midnight.

Who could ask for anything more? Probably a lot of you!

AND I'm making my resolutions. I'll let you know how long it takes to break each one.

1. Be more available to family and friends.

2. Exercise more. (bet nobody else will have that one)

3. Lose a few pounds. (another original resolution)

4. Stop stressing over what I cannot change.

5. Accept that I can only do my best.

6. Laugh more.

7. Develop healthy sleep habits. (again)

8. Make myself responsible for my own happiness and forget old hurts.

9. Take a day off each week. (I can already feel that one slipping)

10. Give regular thanks for all the wonderful people in my life.

Wow, I'd better print that lot and pin the list where I can see it--daily.

Getting to know our Quillees this year, and sharing so many thoughtful, or funny moments, has been a blessing. I look forward to lots more laughs and lots more opinions and pieces of new information.

Thank you for allowing me to share some corners of your lives.

Have an Absolutely Fabulous 2007.

Stella

Would you share a special "happening" from 2006?

And what are your resolutions for 2007?

25 Comments:

spyscribbler said...: I went to my very first RWA conference, and loved it!

My resolutions are too long to list, BUT I'm being smart this year. Instead of an overnight change, I'm going for one thing at a time. So they're changes that I've given myself permission to take all year to make, babystep by backsliding by babystep.

Happy New Year, and thanks for the great blog! Best of luck in 2007!; 10:25 PM
Karibear said...: The most outstanding thing I can think of regarding 2006 is that we survived it! There was the occasional doubt...

As for resolutions, I gave up on them a long time ago. The things I’d like to change, I do my best to change when I think of them. It seems kind of self-serving to wait until New Year’s just to make ‘resolutions’ about things that one wants to do differently NOW. But that may just be my age speaking, I’ve noticed that the older I get, the less I count on there being plenty of time - and the older I get, the less able I am to actually do some of the things I’d planned to do some nebulous someday. For instance, I always thought it would be fun to ride a bicycle from one ocean to the other - but now I can’t see well enough to cross a street if it doesn’t have a 4-way stop. I also wanted to hike that mountain trail from British Columbia to California, but since it takes me days to recover from grocery shopping, that’s no longer an option.

I don’t mean to sound negative, because I don’t feel badly about it all, but my priorities have changed. Now my life is more cerebral, and I’ve met a lot of people on line who I communicate with regularly and I still have a rich social life, if at a distance. I’ve managed to re-establish contact with some old school friends, and that’s been a very good thing overall. We were so competitive in high school and college, we didn’t have the time or energy to spare for real friendships back then. Now we have our own life experiences to share and marvel over.

So even without making any resolutions, I’m looking forward to 2007 with great anticipation.; 10:50 PM
Carrie from Wisconsin said...: I guess I have to agree, a list of resolutions is just another list that will get forgotten about, end up something to stress about or to fight over if my DH feels the need to pick an argument, all of which I can do without.

I'm not going to resolve to be happier or to eat better or anything like that. What I am doing now I have been doing for sometime and at least it is working - for now anyway. When my current processes for dealing with day-to-day issues stop working, then and only then will I change them.

My biggest problem is that I procrastinate. The only thing I can seem not to procrastinate about is writing, so I keep plugging away. Someday my world will be shared with others and it will be as beautiful to them as it is to me. That is the one true goal I seem to be able to keep.

The rest will just have to wait. I need Cinderella's mice friends to take care of those things while I am busy with my writing. Anybody have an in with her? If so, can you get me in?

May this year bring a wealth of adventure and happiness to everyone!

Carrie; 12:53 AM
Lori of Canada said...: It is funny because I posted something similar on Lori's blog this morning. ;)

These were the events that I enjoyed in '06:
-- getting my permanent contract (and permanent position) with my school board
-- wonderful prom and graduation experience saying goodbye to the class of 2006
-- attending the weddings of 2 close friends, watching them marry guys that I both like and respect (which inspires hope in my single heart)
-- meeting new people who have now become good friends
-- continuing to learn how not to be responsible for the problems of others (particularly my family)
-- putting even more dent in the debt I built up during my education and before getting a permanent job/becoming more aware about my budget and money
-- starting to make decorating changes to my house, actually beginning to make it mine

Although I don't like to make RESOLUTIONS, I do like to think about what I would like this year to hold for me:
- becoming even more health conscious and working out more (Christmas and a nasty chest cold put a dent in my promise to myself to do that throughout December)
-- I have some serious debts that should be over by the end of 07 (one of my student loans, leaving me with just one to finish paying off, and a consolidationloan from a bank). Seeing the light at the end of the tunnel there
-- becoming more social (I tend to be a bit of an introvert, which I think surprises people who don't know me that well and only see the surface me)
-- continue working on my house and yard
-- continue working on being the best teacher I can
-- continue learning to appreciate my family and accept that I cannot change them ( Wink )

Lori M; 5:51 AM
DFender said...: Stella,
I don't know if I can take you being a better person than you already are. I might hafta learn to hate you then. LOL.

A special 2006 happening: The HHP and myself took a trip to Italy - Rome, Sorrento. It was incredibly educational and fun. We had a great time.

Resolutions for 2007: Ha. Well. Let's see, shall we:

1. Quit smoking.
2. Lose 30 pounds.
3. Resume Tai Chi.
4. Enjoy my 40th year.

HAHAHAHAHA. Oh, 'scuse my while I laugh myself silly. I really will give those resolutions a shot or I wouldn't have made them, but based on past experience, I'm lucky to hold on to one of 'em for a year. LOL.

Thank you to all the Quills for making 2006 a better year than it would have been without you. Good luck to all and happy, happy new year!

Deb; 11:14 AM
Pia said...: Hi Stella,

There were so many special things that happened to us this 2006, some of them are...
1. We got to meet you, Jayne, Elizabeth and a lot of great authors.
2. I asked for a puppy and got 3 cute puppies!
3. I got great treatment for my hyperthyroidism and heart arrythmia.
4. We got to produce a concert.
New Years Resolution for 2007 would be...
1. To loose 20 lbs. (but if I loose 10 - I would be really happy).
2. To finish my novel.
3. To join RWA
4. To have a baby/babies.

Thanks, Stella and Happy New Year everyone!; 11:29 AM
Estella said...: The best happening of 2006 was my daughter telling me I was going to be a grandmother in Jan. 2007.
I don't make resolutions............I'd just break them.; 12:51 PM
Stella said...: Raining on my resolutions, hm? Of course, I agree with the contention that they are made to be broken. But I find thinking about areas that need improvement brings them forward and makes me more aware, at least for the moment!

Estella--the picture of the baby must be meant for you... I hope your daughter and the baby are doing really well.

Stella; 1:01 PM
cate said...: Best thing of 2006: Our daughter is finishing up 6 years of pharmacy school. We're so proud!

Resolutions: Just one. Journal writing once a week without fail.; 4:01 PM
Stella said...: Cate: How clever of you to come up with a reasonable way to keep a journal. In recent years I've been repeatedly defeated in my journal efforts. Possibly going from daily to weekly entries would prove possible.

Cheers, Stella; 5:24 PM
Stella said...: Thank you, Deb! Italy is unforgettable and I keep hoping I'll get back there, particularly to Capri and the northern lakes. In Sorrento I ate the best pizza I've ever had.

Good luck with your resolutions.

Stella; 5:26 PM
Stella said...: Pia: All of your memories and hopes are lovely. I wish you a successful '07.

Stella; 5:27 PM
Stella said...: Lori M:

Congratulations on that contract--that's great news. And good luck with your sort-of resolutions!

Stella; 5:29 PM
Stella said...: Carrie:

We are works-in-progress. Good luck with your progress and thank you for the positive wishes.

Stella; 5:31 PM
Stella said...: Spy--I hope you will be at this year's RWA Convention.

Kari--Wow, I'm glad you did make it in '06.

Stella; 5:33 PM
Lori of Canada said...: Thanks, Stella.

The contract was hugely excited. I am big on stability so it was nice to have some.

I like your resolutions, BTW. They are all about making your life better for you - and I think that is always the key.

Lori M.; 7:11 PM
Cbell said...: you know... I think I lost myself in 06. Not in a physical sense... of course... but by the time the end of the year got here, I did not like who I had become. I made decisions that moved my course into a more negative arena, and that was difficult, since I have typically been a positive person.

This year's resolution (along with a determination of some weight loss) is to return to a kinder, gentler person!; 7:39 PM
Ranurgis said...: Well, I'd sort of been summing up the year in my mind during late December and felt the year and the four last months of 2005 had been the most stressful that I could remember. My mother would probably have said "the first two years of my life" but I know of them only second hand.

The kindness of two of my siblings, especially my sister, who paid for my two vacations abroad with them was truly a God-send; some counselling from a trusted that helped me accept something that I found very hurtful and confusing. I thank these wonderful people. They truly made it possible for me to get through 2006. I also thank God who put the right words into their mouths and thoughts into their hearts.

I've given up making resolutions because I know I've never kept them but this coming year is definitely looking more promising especially if I can get my landlord to help out with the horrendous hydro bill I was left with when the fridge malfunctioned.

I'm once again moving but just upstairs to a two bedroom apartment. I still won't have room for more than a fifth probably of my books but that's definitely an improvement over only 300 or so.

My resolutions and hopes can be summed up in this way:

1. Get rid of any duplicate books by sale if possible.

2. Reduce the amount of useless "stuff" I have around.

3. Organize things that are now in at least three different places.

4. Try to make some money to supplement my disability pension. I've been meaning to do that for the last four or five years but circumstances and illness always make it impossible.

5. I want to pray more for all the people I know. I know prayer changes things and can in the lives of even those who don't believe in it.

Otherwise, Stella, your resolutions mirror mine--except for those directly associated with the writing craft.

Happy and prosperous 2007 to Quills and Quillees alike. May you have many blessings.; 11:04 PM
Ranurgis said...: Lori M, I can empathize with a lot of your ambitions. I once was a teacher too and still consider myself one in a way. Well, they do say: Once a teacher always a teacher.

Things like debts, socializing and family are some of my big concerns as well. May God help both of us to handle these gracefully and successfully. Actually, decorating is just coming up too.; 11:10 PM
Ranurgis said...: Stella and Deb, I've been to Italy too: once by myself by train in 1972 I think and again by car with my parents in 1975. We did mainly the cultural areas and so the country only by the way. So I haven't spent much time in northern Italy among the lakes and such. I was in both Rome and Sorrento though that was memorable mostly by two guys from there who kept overtaking my car, falling back and then overtaking me again over and over again. But the town is beautiful too. We went there while we were in Pompeii. I think it was the same day we drove up Mt. Vesuvius from which we might even have seen Sorrento. I'd love to go back and see more too.

Is that were you were this year, Stella, when you went to Europe?; 11:18 PM
Lori Foster said...: Two big happenings for me in 06 - I became a grandma, and my husband retired. Both have been WONDERFUL!

For 07...drink more water. I know few of us gets the amount we should.
And write less. Yeah, strange one for a writer, but I want to be less committed so I have more time to play!

Lori; 5:04 AM
Jayne Ann Krentz said...: Great resolutions, Stella. But I know my own limitations and, therefore, have decided to keep my list quite short. n fact, there is only one item on it. But if this works, I'll add another next year. Baby steps.

Jayne's New Years Resolutions:

1) This year I will try to find something interesting to blog about here at RWQ that does not require Frank to fall off a ladder.

The End.

Love,
Jayne; 6:13 AM
Suzanne Simmons said...: Your list of resolutions pretty much echoes my own, Stella. Especially the ones referring to physical, mental, and spiritual health.

Keeping Jayne's suggestion about "baby steps" in mind should also help me reach my goals. (Of course, baby steps are a bit larger when one has big feet like I do.:-)

I love the feeling of a new year and a new beginning, which 2007 is definitely going to be for me.

Happy New Year Quills and Quillees!
Suzanne

aka Elizabeth Guest come April.; 7:56 AM
Melissa said...: Great resolutions. Numbers 1, 2 and 3 are on my list, too. I really like the laughing more one. Everyone could use more laughter in their lives.

As for special happening, I have two. One was having two of my kids dress up as characters from Star Wars and dance together at a Halloween Irish dance feis and place fourth out of seventy-five teams. Huge confidence builder for my six year old son who just started competing. And the second would be expecting to sell one book and ending up selling three! Nothing like going into a new year with job security!

Happy New Year!; 2:56 PM
Irishpixie said...: I was lucky to have two special happenings in 2006. The first was being able to move close to my family again and the second was getting pregnant with my boys. We're still awaiting their arrival but they'll be here soon.

As far as resolutions, I've only made one resolution that I've ever kept and that was 1995/1996. That resolution was never to make another resolution. LOL I've kept it ever since.

I'm a little late but happy new year everyone!; 4:45 PM

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Sunday, December 31, 2006

LET'S GET NEW TOGETHER

25 Comments: