The TFC Anniversary party continues even more...

Today I'm giving away signed copies of Alyson Noel's books!

Actually, I'm not. But after all the fun here this week, I felt like I had to say something attention-grabbing. There will in fact be a book giveaway here at TFC today, but before you get to that, first you need to wade through me blathering on for a bit.

Now, let's see, where was I three years ago, when things were first getting started here at TFC...

Oh, right. It was March 2007. Three months prior to that, after having a string of adult novels published, my first YA debuted, Angel's Choice.

Well, this is annoying. I just tried to upload an image of Angel's Choice and for some reason Blogger was all stall-y on it. Am I the only one this stuff happens to here? Yeah, pretty much.

Back to March 2007. The month before, I'd been offered a contract to write The Sisters 8 series for young readers. (More on that latter.) It was pretty exciting stuff.

And TFC was just getting started: me and my TFC sisters blogging together, a nice addition to my life since a writer's life can be a mostly solitary one.

What's changed in the last three years?

Well, my family's all in on the writing act now. My husband Greg Logsted has had one YA published, Something Happened, and one middle grade novel, Alibi Junior High. Our daughter Jackie, now 10 years old, is one of the three creative minds behind The Sisters 8 series, along with Greg and myself.

One thing that hasn't changed is TFC: It's still as much fun as when I first started here.

So what have I learned in the last three years? Like some of my TFC sisters have indicated, it's not always easy being a writer. Believe me, it's not the hardest job in the world. You'll never hear me say I have it worse than some poor guy laying tar in Texas in August. But it's not easy. It seems each book has its own opportunities for disappointment and joy. And if you're like me and have several books published a year - I'm not complaining! - those opportunities are exponential. After a while you realize that what was true in the beginning of your writing journey goes on being true: the most important thing is to keep putting one writing foot in front of the other, ignoring all the sound and fury of triumph and disaster, and that the only person who can ever really take you out of the game is you.

What lies ahead for me in 2010? A lot! Book 5 of The Sisters 8, Marcia's Madness, comes out on May 3; and Book 6, Petal's Problems, comes out in October. Oh, and I have two YA novels coming out this year: The Education of Bet, on July 12; and The Twin's Daughter, on August 31.

And what lies ahead for you here at TFC today? A big honking contest! No, I'm afraid I'm not giving away a signed copy of one of Alyson's books - I'd like one of those myself! - but I am giving away a Starter Pack of Lauren Baratz-Logsted YA books. That's right. One lucky commenter will received signed copies of all three of my YA books published thus far: Angel's Choice, Secrets of My Suburban Life, and Crazy Beautiful. To be entered, all you need to do is leave a comment below. The winner will be picked at random and announced on March 15.

So comment away and thanks for three great years at TFC!

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