My Top Five Retired Resolutions archive:
#1 Stop using bad words. Yeah. Fuck that. Sorry.
#2 Lose weight. Based on 35 years of empirical study, I can conclude with some certainty that dieting, self-loathing, guilt and constantly talking about my weight is not going to make me a size 7. I am a size 14. Bam. Weight problem solved.
#3 Work smarter, not harder! This too often translates into trying to do what works for other people. Practicality is the enemy of exploration. I have to do what feels right to me as an artist and works for me as a sole proprietor, and so far, working insanely hard seems to have yielded the most fruit. Plus I like working hard. I'm a disorganized, "method in the madness" workaholic. In size 14 jeans. Self-help gurus can suck it.
#4 Be a purveyor of shalom. This is a lovely ambition in theory, but sometimes the world needs shit-disturbers, tell-it-like-it-is-ers, boat-rockers and contrarians. For 20 years, the only prayer I've spoken on behalf of my career is "Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace." Praying for book deals or for certain people to get syphilis is too narrow-minded for the wide-open possibilities of modern publishing, so I plan to stick with that, but genuine, lasting peace usually comes in the wake of healthy change, so upheaval serves that goal - in personal and professional arenas - far better than denying one's self and placating others.
#5 Be a better mom. Over the years, the specifics ranged from making a daily hot breakfast to chore charts to a total ban on television in our home for two years. God knows what my kids (now in their mid-20s) will tell their analysts about me, but they are a couple of awesome blossoms, no one's been arrested lately, and I can go to sleep at night knowing I did my best. My role from here on out is to love them, not to finance their foolishness, enable their self-doubt or critique their decisions. The best thing I can do for them is give them permission to be themselves by living the mandate I'm resolving to better embrace:
"To thine own self be true."
, the story of an aging Dutch immigrant to New York, a retired professor of entomology whose father was a Nazi collaborator. The depth, beauty and artistry of this novel won thousands of fans (including me) when it was published to great critical acclaim by small literary press Blue Hen (a Penguin Putnam imprint) back in 2002. Mylène's next novel, 
was published by Putnam in 2004, and her career expanded to include her unique brand of writing and creativity guruship. She's done fellowships and residencies at the Carson McCullers Center, UT and other lucky universities, and is now in residence at Guilford College in Greensboro, North Carolina. 
Why is Mylène self-pubbing her backlist? Midlist authors make more money doing their own ebooks. We can get 70% of the purchase price when we sell directly through Amazon, and going through any Big 6 publisher, the best we can hope for is 25% of net. Because the book has already passed the gatekeepers, been edited and copy edited and enjoyed (in M's case) excellent reviews, it stands out from the crowd, which is the most difficult aspect of self-publishing now that the gold rush is in full swing and the market is being glutted with hastily produced amateur efforts.
, an epic fantasy collaboration with longtime pal Parke Roberts, in which a magic flute meant to be handled only by a docile, well-trained virgin is placed - by fate or magic - in the hands of a disreputable young lady-in-waiting. It's a feat of both world-building and storytelling and is a radical departure from Colleen's body of work. With her 20th romance novel in the pipeline, one would expect her to stick with the genre that brought her to the prom, as it were. But that's not where her heart is right now, and if there's one thing a romance author knows, it's the importance of following one's heart. 
, a Romantic Times Top Pick and nominee for Reviewer's Choice Best American-set Historical Romance of 2002 and the Dorothy Parker Award of Excellence.
Update December 2012: Colleen indie pubbed her Gwyneth Atlee books, which continue to sell well. She's currently working on two books under contract with a major publisher, and Amazon has picked up the rights for several of her backlist romantic suspense titles.
back in 1999, "electronic rights" referred to film, TV and audio adaptations. The memoir tells about how I wrote my first two novels and began my publishing career while undergoing treatment for lymphoma, a virulent blood cancer, and Lifetime was interested in optioning rights for a television movie. With my long-term survival in doubt, my husband and I felt - as desperately as we needed the money - a movie about our family could be confusing and unhealthy for our children (then 7 and 9) if I wasn't around to see it. My agent withheld electronic rights. The book came out in 2001, got rave reviews, and propelled my career into high gear. Fast-forward ten years. The book is still in print, I'm still alive, and the ebook revolution has arrived. (Not sure which of these astonishes me the most!) 
Update December 2012: With BLBH enjoying steady sales and a fresh influx of glowing reviews, Joni indie published two mystery novels and a mini-memoir. She's currently working on a ghostwriting project with a major publisher and preparing to launch her own online indie bookstore.
Update December 2012: With the success of her indie titles lighting a fire, Bobbi was signed by a fantastic New York agent who quickly landed her a big fat 6-figure 2-book deal with large mainstream publisher. The first of the two, 
So now I'm 50, and I just now finished rereading FEAR OF FLYING for the first time since I rescued that battered paperback from the trash. It holds up beautifully, despite the intervening years. The world has changed, but the human heart has not. It never has and never will, and that's what blew my tiny mind this time around. 
