13 Things that made me very happy in 2013

13. Blog readers/commenters/pals
I'm profoundly grateful for the camaraderie of the comment column. From the tart spelling or grammar corrections to the hilarious witticisms about some line or another, the commenters here are the absolute exception to what's fast becoming Internet savvy: don't read the comments!

I look forward to more in 2014.


12. Center for Fiction
This year I attended several events sponsored by the Center for Fiction. In January I saw Elmore Leonard and later in the year Daniel Woodrell.  I'm devotees of both authors and the chance to hear them talk about their work, and their writing lives was amazing. 





11. New rule for Writers-the Michael Seese Be Tenacious Rule



10. Writing contests
I have enjoyed the writing contests on the blog this year a great deal.  The depth and breadth of talent in the entries gives me great hope for the incoming query pile set to resume here shortly.

Remember these winners?

Richard Stillman Prime 11:43pm

I wash the floor 262 times. I wash the spade 262 times. I wash myself 262 times. I hear him, though. I hear his blood calling out to me from the floor, and he tasks me – he tasks me, and I am God. It was the spade or the hammer but I am God and He is a gardener and I am a gardener and this isn't fiction and he is slush now and still, still: he tasks me. He is slush and he tasks me and I am God and my punishment is more than I can bear.

Lenny Liang 2:51am

I was an "untouchable" but never quite fit in. I was odd. They were even.

Besides 2, I was the smallest one, a single digit runt. They all bullied me, though none more so than 262.

He often said, "Little 5, sum my parts. I'm still twice the number you are."

His words were like a spade to the heart, a heart he plucked and discarded in the miry slush. He made self-esteem a fictional dream.

But then I learned that I was "prime" and became a celebrity.

And 262? He's languishing in Wisconsin.

He can go divide himself.



And this one?

JD Paradise 2:44pm

"This is just to say --"

"Yeah?"

"--I have drunken the protein shake."

"From the icebox? I was saving that--"

"For breakfast, I know. Forgive me. It was disgusting. Too sweet. But very cold."

And this one?

(7) Michael Seese 10:04am

The bonds we forged over a lifetime of summers...

Playing pirate with swords forged from Christmas wrapping paper rolls.

Seeking asylum from our sisters in your treehouse (accessible only by a really cool, real rope ratline fashioned by your dad).

Finding a family of possums, lodgers under my front porch.

Games of stickball in the street.

Discovering what the girls in our class would look like in a few years, courtesy of my big brother’s Playboy collection.

All of that came unraveling in one horrible second when you yelled, “Police! Put up your hands, Bobby!”

And I drew first.

 

9. Cards Against Humanity
I'd never heard of this card game before playing a round with some devilishly funny people.  If you haven't heard of it, here's their site.  I recommend playing with people who have a very very warped sense of humor. (yea, I'm looking at you FizzyGrl!)

8. Maddie On Things

Maddie is a coonhound with amazing balance. Meredith Barnes sent me the first picture of Maddie. We fell in love with her.  Then, joy of joys, turns out Maddie's agent is in our office suite. Sadly, Maddie did not drop by for cookies and ear scratches, but we did get to meet her when she came to New York and did an appearance at PowerHouse Arena.   If you've never seen Maddie, well, here ya go

7. The Rental Cat
This is New York. You can rent everything.  If  you need purring, or a belly rubbing or just a sardonic stare from the universe, rent a cat!

6. CHUM by Jeff Somers

To his everlasting credit, Jeff Somers did NOT say "took you long enough" when I sold CHUM to Ben Leroy at Tyrus Books.  It was a long time: 8 years. Of course, I did sell a few books in the meantime, but this was the one Jeff queried me on, the one I signed him for, and the one that is pretty close to our hearts.  It was a very happy day to see CHUM on sale.



5. Publication and launch of MAN IN THE EMPTY SUIT by Sean Ferrell (Soho Press)  We had a great time at the reading and at the party that followed.  I love this book with a passion and I'm profoundly grateful to represent Sean Ferrell. 

4. Publication of Laird Barron's THE BEAUTIFUL THING THAT AWAITS US ALL.  This one had a circuitous road to publication that left us both gasping with relief when readers were finally able to buy copies of this wonderful book. 

3. Dan Krokos was nominated for Best YA Thriller by the International Thriller Writers in 2013 for FALSE MEMORY.  And he won!  It was one of the best moments of my career!

2. New readers came in to the world in 201

Max is the grandson of Fabulous Bill Cameron. (photo updated 2015 cause I love this picture with all my heart)

Dash.  He stops traffic where ever he goes.

 


1. His Holiness Pope Francis

"Peace is a daily commitment. It is a homemade peace. I invite even non-believers to desire peace. (Join us) with your desire, a desire that widens the heart. Let us all unite, either with prayer or with desire, but everyone, for peace."

Here's to a happy, prosperous and peaceful new year for all!