So Long 2016 :) Another Great Year!

Another year, another bunch of amazing highlights :) 

But seriously, I love taking the last day of each year to look back at what the prior 365 days have brought--so many great challenges, so many wonderful blessings, and so many fabulous memories! And 2016 was no different! 

On a personal front, my husband and I got our first doggie!! She's the most adorable little nugget and has made my long days at home alone full of so much love and laughter (and yes...sometimes frustration, but she's worth it!). My productivity took a bit of a hit in the spring because of our little Sadie diva doggie, but I'm back on track now :)

On a professional front, SO MUCH HAPPENED!! I crossed one of my BIGGEST author dreams ever off the list, published a few more books, brought back an old favorite, and remembered yet again that I have the BEST FANS EVER!! 

I'm so so blessed to be living my dream and at the end of every year I'm just amazed that this is truly my reality, and I can't thank you all enough for making it all possible!

So without further ado...

My Top Five Author Moments of 2016!

1) First ever author signing!!

I've been dreaming of participating in an author signing probably for my entire life, but definitely ever since Ignite went on sale back in 2011, and five years later, it finally happened! I already have another event on the schedule for 2017, so hopefully these live events will just keep on coming because they are so much fun!

2) Realized I've officially sold more than a quarter of a million copies of my books!

Again, I return to the fact that I have THE BEST FANS EVER!! You guys made this happen and I'm so incredibly grateful for all of the support and love I've received over the years! When I'm struggling with a story, you guys help me pull through, and when I'm celebrating, you bring the party! Without you, none of this would be real. 

3) Published two more books--Withering Rose and Confessions of an Undercover Girlfriend!!

Need I say more?? Skye and Ollie's story came to a close (with a bang, if I do say so myself) and the crazy world of Once Upon A Curse continued with a retelling of my favorite fairy tale, Beauty and the Beast!

   

4) Celebrated the FIVE YEAR anniversary of Ignite!

So...I feel old. But my baby turned FIVE! Ignite was my first book, and it will always hold a very special place in my heart! Celebrating this anniversary made me a little nostalgic for my original love triangle, which is why I brought Kira, Luke and Tristan back with Burn, a brand new Midnight Fire story :) And to top it all off, The Complete Midnight Fire Series box set hit the top 150 in the entire Amazon store and the top ten in Barnes & Noble and Kobo!

   

5) New illustrated covers for A Dance of Dragons!

This was my first time working with an artist and it was a wonderful experience! I can't even describe how cool it was to see my character visually come to life! Also, The Shadow Soul was selected as an SPFBO finalist (so exciting!!) so we'll see where that goes in 2017!

        

So there you have it, my 2016 highlights! See what I mean?? Another fabulous year :)

And, of course, no author round up would be complete without...

My Top Five Reads of 2016!

So many books, so little time...

1) The Six of Crows Duology by Leigh Bardugo

   

Two words...SO GOOD!!! Read the books if you haven't, I was utterly engrossed! Hands down my favorite discovery and read of 2016!

2) Even if the Sky Falls by Mia Garcia

My friend published her debut novel this year and it was fantastic! A whirlwind contemporary romance set during midsummer Mardi Gras in New Orleans--pure magic!

3) The Girls Series by Rachel Hollis

      

I fell in love with the girls in this series :) Each of the three books takes on a different romance, but the stories of these unlikely best friends are interwoven so you get lots of appearances from all the adorable, quirky girls and their swoony boys!

4) The Bird and the Sword by Amy Harmon

I was completely absorbed by this fantasy romance telling the story of a magical mute woman and her surly prince charming. Literally one I could not put down! 

5) The Romanovs: 1613-1918 by Simon Sebag Montefiore

Probably not what you expected! I'll be honest, I'm not usually a huge non-fiction fan (I often find history a little dry, especially when I'm used to living in magical fantasy realms). BUT I went on a family vacation to St. Petersburg this year and wanted to read about Russia, so imagine my surprise when I fell in LOVE with this book! The story is almost so unbelievable you think it is fiction, and the author does an amazing job bringing this over-the-top dynasty to life!

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!! 

Have the best time celebrating :) See you in 2017!

Hello, 2016!! Happy New Year!

If you saw my post yesterday, I highlighted some of the most exciting things that happened in 2015!

So, it's only fitting to now take a look ahead at 2016 :) I'm pretty sure it's going to be a great year, and I already have a ton of super exciting projects to work on and some pretty amazing surprises for all of you!!

Without further ado...

My Top Five Author Resolutions for 2016!

1) Publish Withering Rose, the second book in the Once Upon A Curse series!! I am SO excited about this book! I've been outlining and planning, and I can't wait to start writing these amazing characters! Beauty & The Beast has always been one of my favorite Disney movies and I am beyond excited to write my own version of the story :) I'm hoping to publish this one in April! And it will come with a few little surprises I'll be revealing later on...

2) Publish Confessions of an Undercover Girlfriend!, the second book in the Confessions series!! Okay, I will be the first to admit, I sort of ended the first book in this series with a cliffhanger...sorry! But you'll see why when you get the second book! I have so many more laughs, awkward moments, and romantic interludes for Skye and Ollie, and I can't wait to share the next chapter of their story with you! For all of the fans of my new pen name who have been asking, I'm hoping to have this one out over the summer -- July/August! 

3) Celebrate the FIVE year anniversary of Ignite :) WHAT?! I know! I couldn't believe it either, but yes, it has been FIVE whole years since Ignite first went on sale and my crazy journey as an author began! I have SO MANY surprises in store for all of the fans of this series and I CANNOT wait until the fall to start releasing some exciting news!! But until then...you'll just have to wait :) Te he he -- secrets, secrets are no fun, unless you are the author and can tease your fans with them!

4) Publish audio books! I've been meaning to do this for a long time, but since I have never been a huge fan of audio books I always forget that there are so many people out there who are! A few of my author friends have found huge success and a ton of new fans through audio books, so I'm determined to try them out this year, starting with my Midnight Fire series!

5) Author Signings and Live Events! This one has been on my to do list for a while, because, come on, it sounds like SO MUCH FUN!!! I would love to meet some of you amazing fans in person and to chat with you and sign books for you, and I've wanted to do this for years! This has been one of my resolutions for a while, but this year, I'm going to make it happen!

Okay, that's it, the top five of what I hope is to come for 2016!

Like I said, it is going to be a GREAT year!! 

Lots more books, lots more amazing characters, lots more fun :)

But I'm not only an author, I'm also a reader and a fan of other authors, so I thought I would close this post with another top five...

The Top Five Books On My To-Read List for 2016!

1) Remembrance (Mediator #7) by Meg Cabot

Sue and Jesse are back AND getting married?!?!?!? OMFG!!!! That about explains my excitement level for this book :) If you've never read The Mediator series, GO DO IT NOW! One of my favorites!

2) The Bands of Mourning (Mistborn #6) by Brandon Sanderson

 

Mistborn is one of my favorite fantasy series EVER and I can't wait for the next installment to come out! They used to be considered adult fantasy I believe, but recently got rebranded with YA covers, so anyone who likes fantasy (adult or YA) will LOVE these books! Incredibly imaginative, fabulous world building, mind blowing OMG moments, and of course totally lovable characters!

3) Even If The Sky Falls by Mia Garcia

So excited for this one because the author is one of my close friends!!! I can't wait to read her debut, and to be honest, even if I didn't know her this book sounds freaking amazing!! New Orleans, Mardi Gras, Hurricanes -- bring on the romance and drama!

4) A Court of Thorns and Roses (and Throne of Glass) by Sarah J Maas

   

So, I read Throne of Glass before and I never got that into it, which really surprised me because it just sounds like everything Sarah J Maas writes should be something I love, so I'm giving her books a second chance! When they were on sale, I bought the entire Throne of Glass series and I also bought ACOTAR, and I'm diving in full force!! I'm pretty sure I'm going to love all of them and that my first read was a strange fluke!

5) Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

I don't know much about this book other than I've been seeing it everywhere and it looks amazing!! I'm excited to try out a new author and a brand new series!

And a few others on my Kindle that I'm excited to read :)

        

     

What are your top five books for 2016? Hopefully one or two of mine :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!