Happy (Belated) Thanksgiving!

Since yesterday I was too busy stuffing my face with delicious things like turkey and roasted butternut squash (thanks, mom!), I did not get to post about all the things I am very thankful for this year. Because this is '09, I am going to try and limit myself to 9 of them.

1. Skype, because it allows me to talk to my sister while she is doing a post-doc in Oxford.

2. The fact that I live in the same city as my parents. Nothing like getting to take the subway home with a bag full of leftovers!

3. My passionate, brilliant, generous, beautiful friends. They inspire me to be better.

4. Oceans, whales, beaches; mountains, trees, and woods; sunshine and stormy days.

5. Toasters, for making bread so much better.

6. Stephen Barbara, agent extraordinaire and surprisingly effective relay team member...

7. Book bloggers! (Especially teen book bloggers.) They keep the passion for books alive.

8. Rosemary Brosnan and everyone at Harper who has worked on Before I Fall, from acquiring editor Brenda Bowen to cover designer Joel Tippie and marketing director Suzanne Daghlian and everyone in between, for the dream that has so far been this publishing experience.

9. This last one is a little harder to explain, but I will try. After the death of one of my closest friends this year, I went very deep into myself for a long time, and I discovered a lot of darkness there. Then I went even deeper than that, and at the bottom of the bottom of myself, I discovered joy. I am very thankful for that.

I hope everyone had a happy and healthy thanksgiving (except for the turkeys of the world--sorry, guys.)

xo

L