The annual assessment, 2010

As 2010 rapidly approaches its end, I wanted to take time to think back on what I accomplished this year and what I have planned for 2011. Here's my 2009 retrospective for comparison. Career-wise, I did quite a bit in 2010.

• Ash was published in Italy, the U.K./Australia/New Zealand, and Germany. It was also published in paperback in the U.S. and Canada.
• I finished Huntress, which was one of the most difficult things I've ever done. (Yay! Seriously, yay!)
• Ash was nominated for the Andre Norton Award, the Northern California Book Award, the Lambda Literary Away, and the Mythopoeic Fantasy Award. I was extremely happy. :)
• I began working on my next novel, code-named Blue Book. It is one of my favorite things ever, so far!
• I wrote my first short story in 15 years. It was a blast!
• I did 18 book-related events in 2010, which took me to 11 different cities, including Washington, D.C.; Albuquerque, NM; Orlando, FL; New York, NY; and Vail, CO.

Personally, the highlight of my year had to be the trip I took to Ireland back in May. It was so much fun! (Also, I can't believe how much traveling I did in 2010. Honestly, I think it was a bit insane.)

In 2011, here's what I'm looking forward to:

• Huntress will be published in April in the U.S. and Canada, and in May in the U.K./Australia/New Zealand.
• That short story I mentioned should be published this spring, too, and I can't wait to tell you about it!
• I'm planning to write two more short stories.
• I'm also planning to finish Blue Book.
• And I'm really hoping I get to tell you what Blue Book's about!

And last but definitely not least:

• I'm super excited about going on tour in May with Cindy Pon and many other talented YA authors for Diversity in YA! We'll be announcing our author lineup in January, but right now you can get a sneak peek at our website and sign up for our mailing list to get all the details as soon as we launch.

Oops, OK one more thing before I go! The Book Smugglers invited me to participate in their fabulous Smugglivus celebration, where I blogged about my favorite reads of 2010. I'm also giving away a signed ARC of Huntress and a signed U.K. edition of Ash, so if you'd like a chance to win, head over there right now! The contest ends on Jan. 1, 2011!