Sometimes, you just gotta look back. I know that you, my dear readers and friends, may be getting tired of my reflections, but I can't help myself. I have lots of email loops, and I've been steadily announcing my sale on them. And then I see things like this:

My sale on the Golden Network news page.
Southern Magic's scrolling Congratulations banner on the home page.
My NAME in the sidebar on the I Heart Presents site as an author!!
My name on the PAN authors section of the Heart of Dixie!
And I'm attending the Southern Magic luncheon in a little over a week as an author.

It just keeps going, and it's so exciting. There are new loops to join, new webpages to be a part of, and I'm excited about it. So where do the reflections come in?

Well, one of the comments that keeps popping up from people is “What a year you've had!” And I stop and think, “Yeah, I guess I have.” Because for me it seems longer, like I've been working for it for a long time. (I have, and the writers know this, though it's still been an incredible year.)

So where was I one year ago at this time? I was a PRO member with NO submissions out. I was trying to finish my mss for the Golden Heart, and the Presents contest wasn't even on my radar yet. I was like so many of you, slogging along and working hard and hoping to get somewhere soon. I remember that my husband said something to me about selling in 2008 — and I said no, it wouldn't happen that fast because I didn't even have a submission out. I had to submit, and then wait forever, and then maybe sell. It might happen in 2009, I said. If I was lucky.

If someone had told me I'd have sold a book a year later, and that it would be in a line I wasn't currently writing, I'd have scoffed. But there is a lesson here.

Be open to possibilities, believe in yourself, have realistic expectations, and don't stop trying. Because you never know where the path will open up and when your year will become amazing.

Tomorrow, I'm blogging at We Write Romance. I'll remind you to stop by.

What are your goals for 2009? Are you entering the Golden Heart? Or is it one of your goals to enter next year? If you aren't a writer, what goal do you have for the coming year?