12.26 :: The Top 10 of '10

I can say without reservation that 2010 has been the most challenging of my life -- mentally, physically & emotionally. I've documented a lot of that here on my blog so I won't revisit the specifics, but suffice to say I won't be unhappy to say goodbye to 2010. Still, sharing the Top 10 highlights of my year has become something of a rite, so I went back through my blog & calendar in search of the peaks and found plenty of things to celebrate. Turns out life is good even when it isn't.

 

In August I had a wonderful chat with Robert Jaquay on his program MyQmunity Gay & Lesbian Book Talk. A former librarian, Robert is a gifted interviewer whose questions actually taught me things about my own writing process. You can listen here.

The annual Xena Con always makes my Top 10 list, and if you read through the Behind the Book section for the Shaken Series, you'll understand why. Yes, we're an odd lot -- Lucy Lawless once called it "a goofy show for smart people" but the reverse might be just as true. Among those smart goofballs (or goofy smartballs) are some of my dearest friends.

I may not be bragging next year about new releases, so I need to make the most of my 2 new books from 2010: Photographs of Claudia & Mother Load: Book 4 in the Shaken Series. Thanks to all of you who came along for the ride with Leo & Claudia and the Kaklis clan, and especially those who took the time to drop me a note or post a review. The best reward of writing is knowing there's an appreciative audience out there.

Worth Every Step got shortlisted for the Lammys in the Women's Romance category alongside some stellar company. Congrats to Collette Moody for carrying off the hardware.

Small Packages (Dramatic Fiction) landed on the short list for the Golden Crown Literary Awards, and Worth Every Step won in the category of Traditional Contemporary Romance. That capped a *spectacularly fun* GCLS conference in Orlando, where a number of our Bella Forum members gathered from all over the world. Most of them knew one another only through forum chats, but they left Orlando best friends.

I had the pleasure of moderating 2 panels at the 2nd Annual Gay & Lesbian Literary Arts Festival (GALLA) in Ft. Lauderdale, a 2-day event hosted by the Stonewall Library, Museum & Archives and ArtsUnited. Many thanks to Susan Meagher, Lee Lynch, Jean Redmann & Ali Vali for making the trip to South Florida.

For our 2nd Bella Y-Tour event (following up on our Denver trip in 2009), I lured Katherine Forrest, Karin Kallmaker, Dillon Watson & Amy Dawson Robertson to Ft. Lauderdale with the promise of good weather. It was perfect until they brought storms & cold air with them. Undaunted, Carol Moran threw us a fabulous welcome party in a downpour at the New Moon Bar; the next day Jack Rutland put us to work on a Volunteer Day at Stonewall Library, Museum & Archives; and we polished off the weekend with a reading that brought Stonewall a whole host of new supporters. If only it had been warmer ...

Stonewall Library figured very big for me in 2010, and it no doubt will for years to come. I was very proud & honored last January to accept the invitation to join their Board of Directors.