The Art of Setting Attainable Resolutions, Part Two

So last year, I wrote a blog called The Art of Setting Attainable Resolutions, which was a fun, overdramatic telling of all the things I wished for in the coming year. If you haven’t read it, you really should. Talk about shooting for the stars! It started with a bang with my hopes of getting a top-pick agent, catching the eye of multiple publishers, and finally going to auction. Hehehe, isn’t it funny how over-the-top those goals were? Ridiculous, I know. Although . . . Wait a second! Perhaps it wasn’t so crazy after all! I seem to recall a certain Publisher’s Marketplace Announcement:

FICTION
Women's/Romance
Golden Heart finalist Erin Knightley's MORE THAN A STRANGER, pitched as a Regency-style YOU'VE GOT MAIL, in which the heroine falls for an enigmatic stranger, unaware he is her brother's oldest friend and the same man she shared a childhood correspondence with before he broke her heart, to Kerry Donovan at NAL, at auction, by Deidre Knight at The Knight Agency (World English). 
Deidre.Knight@knightagency.net

(And yes, it still makes me giggly to read this!) I still can hardly believe how things unfolded this year with my writing—I'm such a blessed and lucky lady! Anyway, from there, I went on to wax poetic about my dreams of being stopped by Julia Quinn at conference…

O. M. G. That really did happen? It felt like just a dream! The only thing that would have made this year better is if I had actually managed to meet Colin Firth as hoped for in my resolutions list…

*Blinking*

Holy prophetic resolutions, Batman!! With the exception of moving to a summer home in Italy and shedding pounds, my ‘resolutions’ produced uncannily awesome results! All kidding aside, this past year has been beyond extraordinary for me. The amazing things that happened to me were a combination of luck, hard work, stick-to-it-iveness, and perhaps a little something more.

Did writing out my wildest dreams contribute to the success of this year? You know what, I actually think it did! There is so much to be said for the power of positive thinking, for putting your hopes and dreams on paper, and for aiming crazy high when shooting for our dreams. It certainly can’t hurt, and as last year’s resolutions seem to indicate, it may actually help.

So, what are my resolutions this year?

1) For my first two books to be a success (are you listening, Mr. New York Times Bestseller List maker?)

2) To learn to write a great novel in three months or less (stop snickering – it could happen!)

3) To have Hugh Jackman teach me to surf (hey, if mentioning Colin Firth worked, there is no way I'd pass up the chance to meet a wet, shirtless Hugh Jackman!)

4) To make enough money so that my husband can quit his day job and take up the two duties we agreed he would be responsible for if I ever became a sugar mama: to learn Italian and to maintain six-pack abs (admit it; you wish you’d thought of this one)

5) To develop a sugar-free, fat-free, calorie-free cupcake that is both satisfying and delicious, and actually helps you lose weight just by eating it (I promise to give the recipe away for free if I do, generous soul that I am)

6) To bring about world peace (I might as well use my magical resolution power for good, right?)

So there you have it, Erin’s New Year Resolutions, 2012. Now, tell me yours! What was your favorite success of last year, and what do you hope to accomplish this year?

To start the year out right, here is an absurdly delicious, absolutely nutritious recipe for Borscht, a hearty Russian soup. I made it today, and I have to say it was crazy good! As we all know, you can’t get anything done on an empty stomach, so make some soup, write your resolutions list, and get cracking!

I am more a baker than a chef, so when a recipe works perfectly as written, I don’t mess with it (too much, lol). Here is the link to Food and Wine Magazine’s Chunky Borscht: Click Here. Enjoy!