Well hello 2015! :) My word of the year is . . .

I blinked . . . and *cue ball drop* 2015. What?!

As the teens on Nil know, time flies.:)

I'm not big on resolutions, because I find they seem so RIGID. So black and white, so hard to keep. And often so NEGATIVE. "Lose 10 pounds. Cut out caffeine. Exercise every day."

Why does everything have to be so extreme?

Why do we tend to focus on things about ourselves we don't like?

And why do we set a mark that if we miss--or break--we automatically feel like a failure?

WE ARE NOT PERFECT. WE ARE NOT FAILURES BECAUSE WE MISS SOME ARBITRARY HURDLE WE SET FOR OURSELVES. We are wonderful imperfect amazing beings and I am so grateful to have this moment this day this year this chance. A chance to figure out the best parts of me.:)

So . . .  each year, I pick a word rather than a resolution.

Last year's word? BALANCE. Balance between my writing and family and LIFE. I think I did okay. Not that I'm getting any gold stars or anything, but I was better at BEING PRESENT, and not texting/tweeting/instagramming every minute and constantly talking to characters in my head. I love my boys and my husband and my friends and when I was with them, I was WITH THEM. Make sense?:)

This year's word: CREATIVE.

I miss painting; I haven't painted since I sold NIL. I miss the wonder of putting paint on canvas and seeing what will happen. I miss the blending of colors. I'm going to paint this year... maybe this spring, maybe this summer. I'm a mixed-media kind of girl. I like messing with paint and adding oil pastels to the mix and creating depth to see what will happen. Being creative means taking risks, but like with anything, the rewards are made of awesome.:) Sometimes it's okay to fall to screw-up to make a mess in the process.

My mind is also swirling with ideas for books. Different books, different characters, different voices, and once I'm out of the Nil world, I'm going to let myself take those creative risks. And I can't wait!:) But before I leave the Nil world, I'M WRAPPING MYSELF IN ALL THAT IS NIL AND HAVING THE BEST TIME FIGURING OUT WHAT HAPPENS AS NIL FIGHTS TO SURVIVE... and so do my favorite characters. I love this crazy island, and all the people who wind up there... or go back. And I can't wait to see how it all plays out.

The rest of this year? I'm embracing LIFE. I'm calling friends I miss, making plans to walk or have lunch, and telling them I love them. I'm making Darth Paper origamis with my kids and reveling in my boys' uniqueness. I'm kissing my husband every morning no matter how rushed we are. I'm pulling out old calligraphy books and pens. I'm making ALL THE PLANS to meet the #NILtribe. Because this year NIL UNLOCKED comes out AND I CAN BARELY STAND IT I'M SO EXCITED FOR THIS BOOK I LOVE IT SO MUCH.:)

I CAN'T WAIT to meet readers on tour! I'm channeling my creativity to make my Fierce Reads and Southeast Swing Tour time full of amazing . . . because it's incredibly special for me too. Readers rock my world, and I'm so grateful for each one. I can't wait for all of y'all to read NIL UNLOCKED this year and meet Skye and spend some time with Rives AND OH MY LAND CRAZY NIL. Full tour details later but for now, writing. Painting. Hugging. Laughing. LIVING.

TAKING RISKS.

Being CREATIVE. That's my word.

What's yours?:)