Yes. 2020 was a bummer, but not a bust. That’s why I’m not going to focus on the sickness, injuries, and isolation that characterized much of my year. Despite everything, I accomplished a lot and I have much to be grateful for. Here are some of the notables:
- I FINALLY buckled down and sent queries to over 100 literary agents and publishers for my YA novel, The Memory of Cotton. Out of those, I’ve had 3 requests for a partial or full manuscript so far. Two agents already passed (dang!) and one is still outstanding. I have yet to hear from most of the publishers, since I didn’t reach out to them until November and December, and I still want to do more research to target a few more publishers to contact. I know the odds are low that I’ll find an agent or publisher as everything I read and hear indicates that the literary market has become tighter than usual during these tighter than usual times. No matter what, I am proud that I accomplished what I did and I have more ideas and projects to pursue. As I’ve often noted, rejection doesn’t bother me as much as it probably should. Onward!
- NEW WEBSITE! Oh my goodness… long overdue. My original website was completely outdated and I’ve really wanted to streamline the content for several years. It’s just one of those things that got away from me. Thanks again to Lee Drozak for her professional help. If you ever need website or WordPress assistance, I highly recommend her. Please check out my new website annkhowley.com and let me know what you think.
- Here is the most unexpected result of 2020 for me. On January 14, 2020, Pat and I booked a trip to China. Two weeks later, China imposed a strict lockdown in Wuhan and by mid-march we were all under stay at home orders here in western Pennsylvania. The rest is the 2020 history we’ve all been experiencing. The surprising part of this for me is that on the day we booked our trip, I made a New Year’s resolution to learn Chinese. I downloaded Duolingo and started studying Chinese every day. Today, January 1, 2021, is the 353rd DAY IN A ROW that I have studied Chinese. I have learned almost 2,000 Mandarin words (and characters). I am not fluent by a long stretch, but I am having so much fun and I am very proud of myself for sticking faithfully to this resolution all year without fail. Pat and I may never make it to China, as our trip is indefinitely on hold, but I can’t wait to practice speaking Chinese the next time we have dinner in a Chinese restaurant.
LOVE, PEACE, AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
One Comment
Great post, Ann. By coincidence, I just sent you my quarterly newsletter — so we’re keeping everyone up on what we’re doing.
Good luck with the publisher/agent process. I gave up on agents a long while ago (still have my list of rejections from then), I’ve had four of them over time, many years ago. I was lucky to find Oak Tree (like you) and then, Sunbury, — and it often does take luck, as you know. Keep sending queries and keep writing!
As for Mandarin, what an experience. We have a private, elite school out here, and many of the students are from China. So the non-Chinese learn the language, too. Here’s hoping you get to China sometime soon.