Justine Manzano As we strike out on the journey that is 2021, my thirty-eighth birthday only having recently passed, I find myself at the usual New Year point of reflection. Looking back on the year as a whole always makes me feel positive, as there is always so much growth, both personally and professionally. And then I project my plans for the following year. 2020 was a particular weird one for me. It was for everyone, but I’m going to make a statement right here: I was blessed to not have lost anyone to Covid-19. So my life hasn’t changed in that dramatic manner, thank goodness.
But aside from that? So much has changed. Where to begin?
The first change of this year was at my job. I speak about it very little on this blog, but I spend my days working as a legal assistant at a major law firm in midtown Manhattan. In August, I will have been in my current job for ten years. Every one of those years, I’ve sat at the same desk. For the last four of those years, I’ve had the same desk buddy, my next door neighbor and dear friend Denise. This year, a new partner joined the firm, and I was made his assistant. This was in addition to the other people I work for and it led to my desk being moved all the way across my floor, to a very quiet and lonely corner of the floor. As a person who despises change, this was heartbreaking for me. But I did the thing. I packed and moved. I got used to my new section of the world and the new work I was doing there. And just when I was starting to settle in?
March hit. I made an appointment to view a location at the local library where I would do a launch party for The Order of the Key. And then, everything changed. It started with a closure due to an in-office Covid exposure. The entire office closed for what we believed would be two weeks. The following weekend, all New York City schools closed. That same weekend, gatherings and libraries shut down.
For the rest of the school year and most of the way through the summer, my son and I got a routine going. With some help from me, he participated in school through remote learning. Meanwhile, I was blessed with a job I could work from home. My husband, however, works in a hospital, and the coming months brought dread and paranoia, as he worked in the rooms of an increasing number of Covid patients.
In May, I joined WriteHive as an Editor in Residence. Shortly thereafter, I signed with Sword & Silk Books to produce my second novel, Never Say Never. In July, I released my first novel, The Order of the Key. It was an exciting summer.
As the summer wore on, I split my time between working from home, working as an editor, marketing Order, editing Never Say Never for its debut next Summer, and writing Order’s sequel. I was seriously stressed out. What was I going to do with my son in the new school year? Would I be out of work long enough to keep him home with me? Or would I have to send him back? As I struggled with the decision and tried to learn what I could about what blended learning would be like, I got hit with another surprise.
The owners of the home I had lived in for the past sixteen years were selling the home. And we needed to look for a new place to live. Now, we’re a household where all the members struggle with anxiety, so frankly, we were all shook. My son, however, suffers from a resistance to change borne of autism, and he was leaving the place he’d lived all his life. For reasons outside of our control, our timeline continuously shrank. We went from sometime next year to we need to move NOW. We got lucky. We fell in love with the first rental we looked at and signed a lease.
We had three weeks to leave a place we’d lived at for over a decade. Packing was an all day affair for that entire three weeks. The next step involved how to move one adult in good working condition, one with chronic pain (me), a child, and three cats, during a frickin’ pandemic. With the help of some good mask wearing friends, we managed to relocate without much trouble and to a place in the same neighborhood–a place that ended up being much bigger and that we fit in much better. And we got an office space. Hallelujah. The downside? My son is still struggling with accepting it as his home.
After some time of my son attending school using the blended model, I realized I was not going back to the office any time soon. I ended up pulling my son to the fully remote model for the rest of the school year. What that means with my job if they decide to ask me to return, I don’t know. I guess I’ll figure it out then. I’ve been flying by the seat of my pants this long. Might as well keep it moving.
Besides, there was something wonderful to getting to spend more time with my boy than I have since I was on maternity leave. So I’ll take that as my positive for the year.
Which brings me to 2021, the big brand NEW YEAR. What are my plans?
- I always attempt to improve my health in the New Year, but my goals are always super lofty. Due to the complete lack of movement I’ve been engaging in since being trapped in my house, my chronic pain has kicked itself up a notch. So I’ve decided I’ll be going for masked walks more often in 2021.
- Step up my editing business so I can stop being so stingy with my book marketing budget.
- I’m going to finish this sequel. I have maybe 10,000 words left and it will be completed and edited and prepared for submission to my publisher by the end of this year.
- OMG, NEVER SAY NEVER comes out June 2021. Even better, the cover reveal and pre-order starts very soon! Watch this space.
- This year has led to my family all having some revelations about our mental health. We’re looking at working on coping mechanisms for this year.
- As is always my goal, I’m working on the best way to help my fellow readers and authors, particularly those who are in some way disadvantaged (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, Neurodiverse, Disabled). Sometimes that’s doing my work with WriteHive, sometimes that’s blog posts designed to crash through stigma, but I’m always on the lookout. Always watch this space. I’m always on the lookout for something new.
- I’m doing the PopSugar 2021 Reading List. I’ve never managed to complete one, but I’ve always found great reads outside of my usual picks, so I can’t wait to jump right in. This time, I’m determined to complete it!
So that is what 2021 has in store for me, and hopefully for you, if you enjoy reading my work, or if you are a fellow writer. I hope you have a wonderful New Year. The switch from 2020 to 2021 is somewhat arbitrary, but I think it will be a nice reset, and I think we’re owed one.
Best wishes for an amazing 2021. Let’s start this year off right! 🙂