Thankful Thursday

(I choose this picture because of the soothing tones and title: Sanctuary, because in a way that's what I'm thankful for)

I'm not sure, but I think I've been at this writing thing longer than the rest of the Oasis girls. January of 2000 I signed my first contract with a teeny weeny literary agency in Mississippi. Since then, I have a few books with Samhain and a couple other indie publishers, and will hopefully be able to post some good news along those lines soon. *runs to check email box for the 100th time*

I fully understand how solitary the business of writing can be...unless you count all the people talking in your head. *snort* While I have connected with a few other writer-types in the adult world of Romancelandia, I never felt the depth of support and encouragement that I found when I turned to writing YA and joined Georgia McBride's then-budding YAlitchat Ning community. For the first time, I felt on the same level with people, I felt that people were honestly interested in each other as peers, and in helping each other grow in this business. I felt like I'd found a home, a sanctuary of sorts.

On this Thankful Thursday, I asked the girls who, or what, in this publishing business are they thankful for. Me? I'm going with Georgia McBride and the YAlitchat community for providing me sanctuary, and the Oasis gals and Heather Howland for the invaluable feedback on RESONANCE. You. Girls. ROCK.

Nikki said: I’m thankful for beta readers and critique partners who keep me on track and make huge red slashes on my manuscript to help me improve my writing. I’m thankful for my agent, who believes in me and my writing as a career. I’m thankful for the editors who are reading, or have read, my manuscript. Even if they pass, at least they thought the idea was worthy of exploring further, and their comments are invaluable in the journey to getting published.

And someday ... I hope to be able to thank my readers and fans :)

Jessie said: I'm thankful for my awesome co-author who has made writing less
solitary, more creative and more fun. You know who you are!

Sheri said: I'm thankful for any success my Oasis ladies have experienced this past week. Gives me hope. And I'm also thankful for vacations, which I'll be taking next week. Fully unplugged for the first time in two years. Hubby and kids' ordered.

Jessica said: I'm grateful to my new friends Cate Hart, Alice Gilmartin and Kaelee Morgan for rooming with me at Nationals. We were all newbies and it was wonderful to have such a fantastic group of woman to talk with, follow around, and just generally be lost together with. I love you guys and I hope we'll be able to do it again next year!

So, dear Oasis Reader. What about this wild world of YA publishing are you Thankful for today? Please share!