So I’ve been seeing people posting lists of 16 good things that happened in 2016, to at least try to end this trash can of a year on a positive note. I thought I’d play along because why not. Some pretty spectacular things happened this year. I’m going to mix it up though and list 13 positive things and three things that weren’t so great, but that I hope to learn from. I think that’s fair. Because of course I made mistakes in 2016, and I’d like to try as hell not to repeat what I can control. Most of these are author-related but some are personal too.

Let’s go with 13 rad things that happened in 2016 (in no particular order):

The Cyberlove series: I don’t even know what to say about this that isn’t rambly but it boils down to a whole lot of surprise. Santino Hassell and I wrote The End to Strong Signal as the ball dropped on 2015. We thought it was a niche book that our core readers would love. We were proud of it, but didn’t expect it to have any sort of mass appeal. We were wrong. Not only did I remember how much I loved writing while drafting this series, the books did things we never anticipated. We sold audio rights and foreign rights to three countries. Fast Connection was named a best romance of the year by The Washington Post. Suz freaking Brockmann tweeted us about it! And I gained a solid friend out of all of this in my co-writer. I’m so grateful for this experience.
Changing His Game hit the USA Today Bestseller’s list. This one is still crazy to me. Due to a sale and boost by Bookbub, one of my dirtiest, nerdiest books (lol) made top 20 in the Kindle store and earned me a spot on the bestseller list. I still remember the excited phone calls from my agent, and me shouting to the news to everyone I knew.
I wrote the first male/male romance for the Brazen imprint with Entangled Publishing. Tied to Trouble came out in January, and Chad and Owen did better than I expected. I still get regular emails and messages about this book, jokes about bow ties, and requests to see the art for The Dapper Dick.
I released by first non-co-authored self-published title, Daring Fate. Well, it’s my first self published since that very fist book in 2013 when I had no idea what I was doing. I learned this year that I suck at self-imposed deadlines. I need a contract and publishing house breathing down my neck to finish a book. So publishing Daring Fate on my own was a huge accomplishment to me. It was also my first paranormal romance, and the response from my readers was incredible. I can’t wait for you all to read my vampires in 2017!
I signed my first print deal. In 2018, I’m releasing a romantic suspense series with Grand Central Publishing. It’ll be in stores! And it’s totally Megan-ish romantic suspense because it’s about a motley crew of hackers. I’m so so excited because this is a concept I’ve been working on for over a year. I never gave up finding a home for this series, and neither did my agent.
On a personal note, my husband and I celebrated 10 years of marriage by riding roller coasters at Hershey Park (despite what I write, our romance game is low. Wouldn’t have it any other way). We’ve been together since we were eighteen. He’s my very own Cyberlove story, because we first met online over AOL messenger. He’s my rock and so supportive of my career. I couldn’t have done this without him, and I look forward to the next ten years and beyond.
I hired an assistant – Keyanna Butler – who is such a huge asset. With her help, we grew my readers Facebook group Meg’s Mob from 350 to over 700 and growing. It’s my happy place on the Internet that is drama-free and full of Tom Hardy, hot guys in sweatpants, and cat memes. I love showing them snippets of my WIPs, holding giveaways, and providing bonus content. I’m so proud of it, and love interacting with readers. It’s my favorite.