Just a few hours left until the ball drops in Times Square, and the peach drops here in Atlanta, to ring in 2014. Time to take a quick breath and reflect back on the past year…

Looking back over 2013, I see a year of blessings and challenges. We had several changes in our household this year -we bought a new house and moved in February; hubs lost his job and then got a new, more fulfilling one; and we experienced the common but heartbreaking loss of a miscarriage in between. Meanwhile, we enjoyed our two healthy (slightly wild) boys and have watched them progress in their learning and personalities by leaps and bounds. There’s a special madness about the preschool years – the kids can drive you crazy one minute and then astonish you with their brilliance and love the next.

Somewhere in there, I managed to write and publish my third novel, BAGGAGE CHECK, and had a great time celebrating the release with some really fabulous friends. I have big plans for 2014, too, and while I haven’t made any New Year’s Resolutions, I am excited about the changes and adventures ahead. The New Year seems as good a time as any to take a deep breath and get ready to dive in headfirst. I hope y’all will join me!

In the meantime, here are my New Year’s wishes for you (with apologies to the wonderful people of Ireland for my take on your traditional blessings)…

For My Reader Friends

May the page rise to meet you
May your Kindles and nooks be bountiful with stories
May your heroines be strong and passionate, but never too perfect
May your heroes awaken something brave and tremulous inside you
May you laugh, and cry, and sometimes both together
May the words flow before you so that time passes without notice, and
May your passion for reading feed your passion for life, all year long.

For My Writer Friends

May your word counts be high, your discouragements low
May you tell the stories of your heart with clarity and passion
May you laugh at obstacles in the rear-view mirror as your fingers smoke across the keys
May you surprise yourself each day with what was inside all along
May you discover simple truths by telling elaborate fictions
May your friends be supportive, editors be honest, and family be patient
May each blank page be a starting point for your greatest adventures yet.

Happy New Year, everyone!  Wishing you a healthy, happy and fulfilling 2014!

MJ Pullen

M.J. Pullen is a distracted writer and the mom of two boys in Roswell, Georgia, where she is absolutely late for something important right now. Her books include quirky romantic comedies and playful women's fiction. She blogs erratically with writing advice, random observations, and reflections on raising very loud kids and dogs. Join her Distracted Readers newsletter list for updates, free content, giveaways and more.