Thanksgiving 2019

Welcome to Top Ten Tuesday, where we post a list of bookish things every week. This Thursday is Thanksgiving in the US, so we’re talking about things we’re thankful for. I did a post like this last year, but there are always more things to be thankful for. A lot of things are the same, but some are different. Top Ten Tuesday is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl!

I’m thankful for my favorite authors. Specifically, I’m thankful for:

• Veronica Roth
• Marie Lu
• Cassandra Clare

For these authors, it goes beyond writing a good story. You may have seen the end of the decade posts. Where you were at the beginning of the decade vs. where you are now. I found an article from 2009 to illustrate why I’m thankful for these three authors:

In 2009 I was writing content for Associated Content, Squidoo, and a couple of other places. I wasn’t writing fiction. I always wanted to write another novel (I wrote two novella-length stories in high school) but I couldn’t find the story. But then Allegiant came along. I’ve said before, chapter 50 and after are dead to me. At the same time, it changed my life. I got into Divergent fanfiction. Then I wrote Legend fanfiction. I still write fanfiction, but I wrote another original novel. I’m almost at 50k words on another original novel. I wouldn’t know I could do it without the first two authors. And Cassandra Clare has amazing worldbuilding. She’s very inspirational.

I doubt any of these have to write beyond their current contracts, considering they have all had either movie deals or multimillion dollar contracts, but I’m thankful they keep writing.

I’m thankful for my author friends. I love them at all stages of their writing life. I can learn from those who are farther along on the journey than I am. When someone is down, I can encourage them. I can find inspiration from them when things are hard. It’s great having friends that write.

I’m thankful for Bookish First. It’s my favorite place to get physical ARCs. Not only are their odds pretty good in winning a physical ARC when you post a first impression, if you earn enough points, you can use those points to “purchase” the ARC of your choice. Next week they’re having Kingdom of Back as the choice. I’d commit crimes for that ARC. Now I don’t have to, because I have enough points to get it.

Sorry, there may be some overlap from last year. I can’t stop being thankful for my library though. I’m here multiple times per week. It’s where the Russian Meetup Group meets, where they host NaNoWriMo write-ins, where there’s workspace to write while my boy is at D&D… there’s free wifi. How could I not extol the virtues of this place?

I’m also thankful for National Novel Writing Month. When this posts, I won’t have finished my 50k for NaNoWriMo 2019, and even when I do get to 50k, the first draft won’t even be finished, but I’ve completed two novels during NaNoWriMo (one is a fanfic I posted on AO3 and the other is in the editing stage) and should finish this one too. I love the encouragement that NaNoWriMo brings.

I’m thankful for Sandhya Menon. I get to be on her street team! She writes such beautiful stories, and I’m so glad that I’m able to work with her. She’s so nice too! I got to meet her at the Colorado Teen Literature Conference this year, and we get to have street team chats with her about once a month.

I’m thankful for bloggers. Where else am I going to find what books to read? There’s Twitter, I suppose, but blogs are the way to get reminded of those books that you know you want to read anyway. This year I finally got to read I think all of those authors I’ve said “I want to read X author someday” week after week about. I probably can thank bloggers for reminding me about them. And I’m forever in their debt.

I’m thankful for Twitter. I adore this web site. It’s the place where you can meet other writers, meet other readers, join in on chats with other writers and readers, join readalongs with other readers. I’m here all the time.

For last year’s Top Ten Tuesday thankfulness post I didn’t thank Archive of Our Own. They deserve a place here because, like my favorite authors above, they changed my life. A lot of other writers have written fanfiction too, and some have posted it here. This is my favorite place for fanfiction.

Finally, I choose you! I’m thankful for everybody that has stopped by to read my little blog this year. I know I put readers on this list last year too, but you can never be thanked enough. Without you, maybe I’d stop posting? Who else would I share my favorite books with? So I’m glad you’re here.

So that’s ten things. What are you thankful for this year? Next week we’re going to talk about holiday books! I’ll see you then!