It’s the most wonderful time of the year!
Here in Virginia the snow is just the right amount to be pretty and festive, without going crazy (though a lot more is coming!). The sky is blue and the air crisp. The turkey is purchased and chilling out with a mighty pile of sprouts and spuds. Stockings are hanging from the mantelpiece, and two small (but exceedingly loud) Dachsunds are pondering the gifts they’d most like to receive (easy – stuffed squirrels and many, many treats).
The Greenhouse is sliding gracefully into its winter break. Julia has made it into Europe and is safely with her family after days of delays due to the unprecedented Big Freeze in the UK. I am tidying up odds and ends, radically reducing the submissions inbox, and taking stock of what’s on my Kindle for the holidays.
It’s been a great year. A rollercoaster ride as always, but with so many dreams and goals achieved. We didn’t hit every single thing out of the park, but we hit a lot – and even finished up yesterday with our final deal of 2010. Susanne Winnacker’s dystopian thriller THE OTHER LIFE has just sold to Robin Benjamin at Marshall Cavendish – particularly exciting since it means we once again achieved ‘the double’ with deals for Susanne on both sides of the Pond. Transatlantic deals are becoming quite a speciality for us, which shows the value of the ultra-close collaboration that Julia and I enjoy.
So many high spots and standout moments in 2010 that I could tell you about, but that would be invidious – I’d inevitably leave someone and something out. Instead I’ll just say that the crowning achievement of the year has been to see Greenhouse UK take off in splendid fashion, matching Greenhouse US with a constant flow of deals since the summer. Congratulations to Julia – building a business in a recession is really hard, and the competition for talent and sales is ferocious.
But most of all we have to thank YOU. All the writers, publishers, scouts, and friends around the world who have encouraged us, put your faith in us, and followed our great adventure this year. Without you there wouldn’t be any Greenhouse, so we’re raising a glass of virtual champagne to you. THANK YOU ALL!!
Wishing you a wonderful, safe and peaceful holiday season and looking forward to reconnecting with you in January for more adventures of the literary kind.
Best wishes from Julia and myself
Sarah x
PS Hope you enjoy the images of our very own Greenhouse Christmas!
Pix: 1) Julia and I wish you all a happy holidays!; 2) The Wee Man enjoys the snow; 3) Coming in out of the cold