I’m a believer in resolutions. I don’t always keep them, but there’s something about that “fresh start feeling” that has great appeal to me. I have a slew of resolutions this year. Here goes:

-Work at writing as though it’s a 9 to 5 job.  This may sound like a no-brainer, especially to those of you who are not self-employed, but I tend to let other things get in the way of writing during the day. Then I work late into the night and I’m usually freaking out in the weeks leading up to deadline. All right, I know I’ll still freak out shortly before deadline, but organizing my work schedule will make me feel more in control before the crunch hits. So I’m going to pretend I have a boss who will not allow me to spend hours on Facebook or run out for groceries or Starbucks when the urge pops into my mind. Which brings me to the second resolution.

-I will actually attend the gym where I have a membership, instead of merely paying them a fee each month, and I will go early in the morning so I can be at my computer at 9 am. Uh, this should be interesting. To be at the gym early in the morning means going to bed earlier at night. Which brings me to resolution number three.

-Lights out at midnight. Not sure how I’m going to do this, because my reading time is usually 11 pm to 1 am or later. I can’t give up reading, so I guess I’ll have to get an earlier start on it.   

-Attend mindfulness classes at a local yoga center. I’ve recently rediscovered my mindfulness and meditation practice, something I enjoyed when I lived in Virginia. It centers me and brings me peace and joy, but as with everything else on my list, I need to actually do it to reap the benefit. 

-Do a few hours of volunteer work each month. I am so blessed, and there’s so much need.

-Stay in better touch with my family and friends. This should really be number one on my list. It is number one. 

Looking over my resolutions, I can see the one thing that will trip me up is TIME. Like everyone else in the world, I don’t have enough of it. But I’m going to give this list my best shot.

 How about you? Are you a resolver?

My reading life is out of control.

With the advent of ebooks, I worried that authors would lose income because they make less on an ebook than they do on a “paper” book, but if most readers are anything like me, authors have nothing to worry about. Take for example, the book I’m reading right now, Sarah’s Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay. I purchased it months ago from one of my favorite independent bookstores, Quail Ridge Books, but never got around to reading it. When I’m making dinner or driving, I like to listen to a book, and since Sarah’s Key was next on my list to read, I downloaded it to my iPod. So I now owned two copies of the book. But I can’t listen to an audio book in bed because I fall asleep with the iPod running. Since I’ve become a Kindle reader, I prefer reading on my Kindle in bed, so (yes, I know this is insane, and I send my deepest, deepest apologies to the bricks and mortar booksellers, whom I love dearly) I downloaded Sarah’s Key to my Kindle. While I love having the actual book on my bookshelf, I will probably never crack it open.

Here’s where the true insanity comes in. While making dinner, I get to a certain point in the book. Then when I go to bed, I have to somehow find that same point in my Kindle edition (there are no page numbers in either the Kindle edition or the audio version, so it’s a matter of trial and error). Fortunately, Kindle has a search feature, so if I can remember a unique word from the last chapter I listened to on the iPod, I can usually find it in the ebook. When making dinner the following night, it’s a bit more of a challenge to find my new place on the iPod. I am learning patience.

So, Ms. de Rosnay, you have me to thank for your next glass of wine! And thanks, by the way, for writing a wonderful story.

Well, this contest was such fun, and so many of you were in the running with the correct answers from Before the Storm. Here they are: 

1. What was the name of Jamie’s church? Free Seekers. We also accepted Free Seekers Church or Chapel.
2. Who was Jamie’s nemesis on Topsail Island? We accepted either Reverend Bill or Marcus.
3. What was Maggie’s nickname for Andy? We accepted either Panda or Panda Bear.
4. Where did Andy hide his lighter? We accepted either sock or shoe.
5. What word did Maggie have tattooed on her hip? Empathy.

And here are the lucky winners:

• Grand Prize winner of a Topsail Island vacation and two tickets to my 20th Anniversary Party: Heidi Rodriguez of Cary, NC
• 2nd Place Winner of a $200 bookstore gift certificate: Dottie Scott of Raleigh, NC

• 3rd Place Winners of advanced copies of Secrets She Left Behind:

  -Christy Hagen of Midlothian, VA

  -Lorene Beach of Midland, TX

  -Debra Haley of North Royalton, OH

  -Stephanie Sabia of Florence, AZ

  -Barb Evans of Knightdale, NC

  -Holly Mize of Greenfield, IN

  -Patsy Hoffman of Richlands, NC

  -Riena Gilbertson of Sequim, WA

  -Karen Lefler of Temecula, CA

  -Dale Dunn of Vienna, VA

Congratulations to all the winners! I truly wish everyone who entered had been able to win. I plan to hold contests–albeit not as exciting as this one has been–all year long, so hop over to my contest page to enter. I’ll cross my fingers for you! 

Well, this is so cool. I was searching back through my old blog  for a particular entry and stumbled across this one. Check it out to see “me” a bit more than a year ago. I blogged about how, as I wrote ’round the clock, all I did was sit in front of the computer and stuff my face. I remember that it was fun to write that self-deprecating blog post and that many of you could relate. But I think that writing that entry had an impact on me. I remember some self disgust, which was reinforced every time I got out of bed in the morning and came face to face with my reflection in the mirror. I remember how I had to unsnap my jeans every time I sat down so I could breathe.

So I got a grip on myself. It wasn’t dramatic. I didn’t go on a diet. I still ate M&Ms on occasion. I just stopped eating three full meals a day, along with a candy bar in the afternoon. I traded in my every-evening giant tub of frozen custard for a Breyers Light Double Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream Bar. I can now reveal my svelter self (above), fifteen or so pounds less, two pants sizes down. I feel so much better.

Reminder to myself as deadline approaches: M&Ms DO come in a smaller sized bag!