COUNTING MY BLESSINGS: Taking Stock of My Professional Accomplishments in 2018 to Make Goals for 2019.

Following Julie Hedlund's Lead, I am reflecting on my accomplishments for 2018. 

Here is my list of my major professional accomplishments for 2018.

1. My Picture Book manuscript, THE STAR IN THE CHRISTMAS PLAY (illustrated by Lorna Hussey, the illustrator of my 2nd book, HEDGEHOG'S 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL) came out in October of this year and I've had nothing but enthusiastic, positive feedback and actual love for this book, which I am grateful for! 
2. I wrote more than 12 NEW picture book drafts this year in connection with 12 x 12, several of which I feel are promising and am very excited about! 
3. I received the illustrator assignment for my book MOLDILOCKS & THE THREE SCARES, which is coming out from Sterling in August 2019 -- David Rodriguez Lorenzo! 
4. I wrote my first non-fiction book - LET'S EAT: MEALTIMES AROUND THE WORLD, which will be published by Beaming Books in Fall, 2019, with two books in the series slated to follow.
5. I completed my 2nd year as a Spotlight Feature Columnist for Children's Book Insider (www.writeforkids.com) and also interviewed editors and agents for The Picture Book Summit (www.picturebooksummit.com)
6. I completed my first year as a Critique Ninja for 12 x 12 (and am excited to return in 2019), as well as my first year as a Judge for Rate Your Story (www.rateyourstory.org) and happy to return for my second year in 2019. 
7. I completed my 3rd year as a Cybils Judge (www.cybils.com). Previously I had been on the Picture Book committee the past two years, but this year I was on the Elementary and Middle Grade Non-Fiction committee. 
8. I performed my first stint as Critique Faculty for SCBWI FL at the June, 2018 Orlando Conference. 
9. I ran my first SCBWI Bootcamp for SCBWI FL in September, which was extremely well-received.
10. I successfully ran my first SCBWI Workshop for SCBWI FL in November.  
11. I secured a *NEW* and *FABULOUS* agent, who is a great fit for my quirky projects, but still get to work with my former agent (and new agent) on Co-written projects, so it is a *win*win* for me as I adore them both! 
12. Despite having been to countless SCBWI Conferences in my life, I really LOVED and got a lot of take-away value from the January SCBWI Florida Conference. It had a lot of *heart.* 
13. I ran a very successful critique group for published and agented writers that has TWELVE books among us slated to come out in the next year-and-a-half! So proud! 
14. I collaborated with a dear friend on a book that is going out on submission TOMORROW and that we are very excited about. 
15. I got a rewrite request on an important book written with a different dear friend that we will hopefully have time to work on in the new year. 
16. I am started on my next non-fiction project, as well as a non-fiction biography about a person I learned about in my childhood who touched my heart. 
17. I am entering into a collaboration with someone I absolutely admire and hope to help her do great things to promote kindness to all things great and small. 
18. I read over 1,000 picture books again this year, although with all going on did not have time to log them all in one place, and am happy to renew my challenge this year! 
19. Did my first craft show where I sold copies of my books THE STAR IN THE CHRISTMAS PLAY, HEDGEHOG GOES TO KINDERGARTEN and HEDGEHOG'S 100TH DAY OF SCHOOL. I am looking forward to school visits and shows next year! 
20. I did all this and supported my family (and put my daughter through her 7-days per week performing arts program at Broadway Kids) during a year that I am still dealing with finalizing certain issues of my divorce, my father suffered a heart attack, my car got stolen, my daughter was bullied in middle school and dealt with other issues, my son  experienced health issues and moved in with us, I logged in seven trips for my job as a Travel Agent from August - November, my birth mother died and I suffered countless migraines. 

Now it’s your turn to make YOUR list! Share in the comments if you’d like!