Thankful Thursday
Dec
27
2007

Sort of connected to an “End of Year” post. I’ve had a lot to be thankful for this last year. Hell, I’ve got a lot to be thankful for every year so without further ado…

1. My husband. I can’t say this enough because he’s just the best person in the world. He’s intelligent, compassionate, loving, passionate, funny, a great dad, supportive, a rockstar between the sheets and just an all around fabulous person. We’re going into our 22nd year together and we’ve faced some major challenges and thank goodness we continue to make it through.

2. My Kids. Three more unruly, wild and unmanageable people I’ve never met. They’re a challenge every day. But they’re also amazing and I love them more than I can articulate.

3. My parents. They’re good, solid, kind people who are wonderful parents and really excellent grandparents. I’m forever grateful to them for being such good parents. They’re a great example of how you can be individuals but still place parenting as a priority. Not all parents are like that. I’ve never heard my mom make an excuse or blame her behavior on anyone else. My dad came into my life when I was 4 and he’s consistently shown that parenting isn’t about biology but what you DO.

4. My friends. How freaking blessed am I in the friend department? You all know who you are. I’m thankful for you every day. Thank you Megan for reading and critting, for listening to me whine and for kicking my butt when I need it. Anya, you too! Angie – what a wonderful editor and friend you are. Laura Bradford you rockstar. Thank you for believing in me and for being such an articulate pest on my behalf.

5. My readers. Some of you have been with me since day one, others come along with each new release. My deepest gratitude to you for taking the time to read my books and for being such staunch supporters of romance in general.

6. My publishers – Ellora’s Cave for giving me a place to make a name for myself. Samhain for taking a chance on me in a new genre and for being so incredibly author focused and supportive of me. Harlequin for opening the door to New York and for, well, being Harlequin. Berkley – for being my dream publisher and giving me my first ST deal. Black Lace – wow, for *getting* erotica in a way that makes me so freaking happy! Each one of you lets me use a different part of my writerly brain and skill – I’m so grateful for that.

Some Moments in 2007 I’m Thankful For:

February – my Harlequin contract arrives. Holy crap, it’s actually happening!
March – Reading at Babeland, 4 1/2 star RT review for Tri Mates, Anya and her husband go to China to meet their daughter
April – RT – Had a freaking blast with Megan, Laura and Amelia. Met Sasha, Vivi, KKT and a multitude of other super fun people, including the extra fabulous Renee Meyer, Joy and Danny who came all the freaking way from Germany!!
May – Angst because really, if you don’t have the pain is the victory as sweet? I contracted the last two Cascadia Wolves books with Samhain. Wolf Unbound is out January 1 and Standoff March 4!
June: Lori Foster gathering and hanging out with Anya! Meeting Badbarb, Pam, Anne, Karen, and a whole host of other folks! Ascension releases. Making Chase releases. Bradford Bunch Blog starts up. We did the Susan Komen cancer walk as a family along with tens of thousands of others.
July – First 70 Days of Sweat and it helped me finish multiple projects!
August – Vegas trip with my husband! Two of my brood have birthdays. Contracted To Do List
September – School finally back in session, my youngest starts kindy, my oldest is now a 4th grader! Sold the second anthology to Spice!
October – My dude and I celebrate 21 years together! The second round of Sven is pushing me into an incredibly productive space. I’m ahead of my schedule. Halloween, whee! Gorgeous cover for Vegas anthology.
November – MY SALE TO BERKLEY! Oldest kiddo turns ten. Vegas anthology goes up for presale.
December – MEGAN AND I SELL TO BLACK LACE! Three CAPA nominations. Finish round one and two revisions on Undercover. Get back cover copy and it’s fab.

Yep – I’m a fortunate woman. I hope you all had a great 2007 and here’s wishing us all a truly fabulous 2008!!!

5 comments to “Thankful Thursday”

  1. Diane Craver
    December 27th, 2007 at 2:39 pm · Link

    Lauren,
    What a beautiful post! Congratulations to you for all your many successes as a published author, parent, wife and daughter!



  2. Mary
    December 27th, 2007 at 4:43 pm · Link

    Lauren a great year for you! Congrats on all your success.

    I am most thankful that I am here somewhat healthy and spending time with my family.

    Hugs
    Mary



  3. Charlene
    December 27th, 2007 at 5:53 pm · Link

    That’s a lot to celebrate! Here’s to 2008 and may it bring many more moments to savor.



  4. Pam P
    December 29th, 2007 at 5:50 am · Link

    You had a great year, Lauren. Wishing us all a fabulous 2008!



  5. Tianna Xander
    December 29th, 2007 at 6:32 am · Link

    You are such a busy woman! I hope you stay as prolific as you so obviously have been. I love your books. 🙂