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The Ruby Prophecy, 2012 Edition
 Posted by Vivi Andrews Jan 5 2012, 12:01 am About a year ago, in a playful prognosticating frenzy, we had a blog post predicting the wild and wonderful things 2011 would hold. Well, the year is behind us and while our more far out predictions (Mariners-Nationals World Series, anyone?) didn’t come to pass, we did actually hit pay-dirt with a few of our prophecies…(Check out the full 2011 Ruby Prophecy post – and don’t miss the comments!) In 2011… I proclaimed that “At least three Rubies, one regular commenter and four faithful lurkers will final in the Golden Heart.” And we surpassed that prediction on all fronts! Rita nailed it with her predictions that “E-readers will see a dramatic decrease in price and E-books will see a huge increase in popularity and sales.” (I’ve got my eye on that fits-in-my-purse sized new Kindle for $79…) Jamie, who was impressively accurate, undershot the mark when she predicted “Two Rubies will become pregnant.” We had five lovely Rubies announcing new editions on the way and happily have several healthy births already. Congratulations, Rubies and families! Autumn hit the mark with her forecast that “The Rubies will hit Broadway in NY, wearing their ruby slippers. (I’m picturing Ruby Rockettes LOL)” Though we hit Broadway in NY to catch a performance of Jersey Boys and all kicking was strictly on-stage. Hope accurately foresaw “My grandbaby will be a girl, (no, I have no inside information on the sex at this point)”. And frequent commenter Christi Barth was spot on with her call that “Most of us will get up ridiculously early to watch the Royal Wedding – talk about romance!” And, speaking of romance, I’ve still got my fingers crossed for Kelly’s prediction that “one Ruby will move to Paris with Javier, the cover model from her book. They will make beautiful babies together. Every year they will throw a Ruby reunion at their country estate near the small village where all romance cover models are born and go to retire at the ripe old age of twenty-nine.” Not bad for a few amateur seers, eh? That day of predictions was so damn much fun I just had to do it again. So here we have it. Pulling out our tarot cards, looking deep into our crystal balls and peering through the mists of time into the wild and wonderful possibilities of 2012. I’ll start us off, but don’t let me be the only Cassandra. Chime in with your own predictions for a bright and prosperous 2012. In 2012…
All right, those are mine. Show me what you’ve got, y’all. Share:
              
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This is so fun, Vivi!! I to love it that we undershot the mark on both number of Golden Heart noms AND babies!! May 2012 be just as fertile!
Three hundred thousand new words during the Writing Festival–I like that one for 2012! I bet we go way over, too! (We’ll have to add that as a feature this year…get a cumulative word count at the end, the way NaNo does it.)
Hmm…what do I predict?? I’m betting Rubies hit the 200 mark on contracted and/or published books. (Where are we now? Well over 100, I think.)
And I predict a Ruby will accidentally bump into Nora Roberts at Nationals (like actually *bump* into her, maybe even knock her over) and they will both laugh so hard afterwards, Nora will ask her to lunch and will give her fabulous career advice that will make her a star.
I love how we both have “meet cute”s, but yours is with Nora and mine’s with Studly McMovieStar. LOL.
And I think as a group Ruby books/contracts stand around 130 or so – 200 is quite the ambitious prediction!
But we are ambitious ladies, no? I think we get at least 50 new ones. So, I’ll go with at least 180.
I predict that…
a Ruby will show up at Nationals wearing ruby slippers. Not just pretty red shoes, but sparkly goodness just like Judy Garland. (Did you know they have her shoes on display at the Smithsonian and they are regularly cleaned. With a Q-tip dipped in water. One sequin at a time. There’s 2300 on each shoe. I can’t even imagine the level of patience that would require. Sorry, I’m ADD.)
there will be much swearing and growling at computer screens, but with the help of the Rubies, sprints will be done despite the sailorish language and goals will be surpassed during the WWF.
at least 3 Rubies or regular visitors will take romance from their computer screen and into their lives and discover love. Not just dating and liking someone or being married and okay with it. Real, deep down to your toes, butterflies every time you think of them, tumbling into bed giggling, this cannot possibly be happening to me I must be dreaming, crazy, perfect love. Either new relationships or rekindled.
there will be at least 5 sleep deprived Rubies over the next year. (Okay, given the new babies, this one might be a cheat…)
Ooh, Kali, I love these! Especially the one about down-to-the-toes, falling-into-bed-giggling love. May we ALL be so lucky!
With q-tips? Hmmm….very patient indeed. I’d be the person with the dustbuster. LOL. I’d probably get fired.
I love the predictions of love. Those are almost as good as fat contracts.
I’m already sleep-deprived, so you’ve only got 4 more to go. And yeah, that’s not going to be hard!
I like all those predictions – they sound muy fabulouso (I’m not sure that’s real Spanish…but it sounds like something Dora the Explorer would say. LOL)
I really have no great predictions. Maybe because it’s pre-coffee right now. I’m going to think about it and then get back to you. Great, fun post, Vivi!
I predict that:
That the Nationals take the National League East in 2012. Don’t laugh. We could do it, we didn’t suck last year and Strasburg is baaaaaaaaak. (Side prediction — Stras wins the NL Cy Young award in 2012.)
western historicals will make a come back. (This is an impossible prediction, but Hope predicts this eternally.)
Five sisters who have not yet self-published, will do so in 2012.
And one last long shot — One or two of the sisters is going to make it onto a best seller list — either for ebooks or paper books.
Oh, yes, I think there will be at least five sisters venturing into self-publishing this year! We’ve already got Laurie on the list!
I’m with Hope. I keep predicting (wrongly) that western historicals will come back, but really, this is their year. I feel it!
Hope so, Elise. Make it happen so I can ride your coat tails.
Western historicals was a popular prediction last year too. Live in hope, ladies.
Me too! I’d love to see this particular prediction come true!
Oh yeah, five new self-pub ventures seem a safe bet.
I’ve got a good feeling you could be the first to hit one of those lists, Hope. Last Chance Beauty Queen is coming soon, right? Good luck!
All I’d really like to know is…where is that village Kelly referenced and how do I get there? ;^)
It is a well-guarded secret.
If you find it, you’ve gotta let me know. Promise?
Don’t know if I can come up with any independent predictions pre-tea (some of us can’t handle coffee. Makes me all jittery and I don’t like the taste). If it’s any indicator of how fuzzy my brain is right now, I circled around my kitchen three times looking for the tea I’d put down to steep (but did eventually find it). How long does it take caffeine to actually start kicking in? Is it instantaneous? Or does it take 10-15 minutes? Have any studies been done on this?
I predict all the Rubies will continue to be caffeine dependent through at least part of 2012.
I toast your prediction with my diet coke. (Viva the non-coffee drinkers!)
Vivi:
I love your predictions! 2012 is going to be a wonderful year!!!
Addison
I always love the even numbered years. (And the odd ones, but right now I’m feeling a definite even preference.) Best wishes for a great 2012, Addison!
These are so great! I love the prediction of a best selling novel being written during the writing festival. It’s so exciting, full of new oppertunities and jitters, a fresh start where anything is possible.
I’m predicting that this year a Rubie will write a future RITA award winning novel, setting off her future RITA award winning streak.
And of course Royal William and Kate babies!
Oooooh, I love royal babies. Come to think of it, I just love babies, period.
I too predict a best-selling/skyrocket-to-the-top novel will be written during the Festival!
I predict the snacks and liquid refreshments during the Writing Festival will be taken to the next level–lol! (Last year it seemed if we got together to write–we all wanted to eat and drink, too!)
I predict at least 3-4 of the Rubies/regular groupies will hit a higher author stardom level.
And this year, a handful of our ladies will find that butterflies in the stomach love.
This is fun, Viv!
Love and higher levels of authorial stardom – what more could we ask for?
I love the predictions about writing future award winning and best selling stuff, don’t you? It puts the power in our hands. OUR awesomeness shall find its way to the page this year. And royal babies? Good call, Tia!
I predict:
- Six Ruby phones will ring on March 26. GH or RITA? It doesn’t matter!
- yes, a William and Kate baby
- a cloud-based service gets hacked
- the next paranormal/UF frontier? Aliens. (See: TASTE ME!)
- another year of friendship, learning and laughs here at the Ruby Blog.
Er, any idea *which* cloud-based service will be hacked? I’m screwed if it’s Google…
Computer security professionals say that there are only two kinds of companies: those who have been hacked and don’t know it yet, and those who have been hacked and won’t admit it publicly.
Let’s just say that I’m closing more online accounts and memberships than I’m opening or starting.
Dang, Tammy…that scares me!
FABULOUS predictions, Tammy! Here’s to six (or more!) jangling phones.
Have you read Gena Showalter’s Alien Huntress books? (Have I asked you that before?)
Alas, these are still sitting in TBR. I’m not usually one for new years resolutions, but chipping away at TBR might be a good one!
What fun!!!! I especially love your 12-21-12 prediction, Vivi!
Okay, I predict that…… darn, where’d that crystal ball roll off to? Let me get back to you.
Slippery little devils, those crystal balls.
I predict:
One Ruby will have a torrid love affair with the the hot actor cast to play the hero in the movie version of her romance novel, but it will end badly when he has a breakdown because her career out shines his.
One Ruby will fake her own death and change her name to escape the spotlight of fame and live in obscurity in a small town in North Dakota where she will write cozy mysteries only to find she has hit the NY Time list “again” under her new name.
One Ruby will jump genres from romance to science fiction after being abducted by aliens and taken to their planet for 10 alien years (which is equal to 3 Earth days) where she will be worshiped like a goddess and showered with gifts that are completly exchangable on Earth for store credit.
Win!
I love you so hard right now, woman. I bow down to your superior forecasting skills.
Forget North Dakota. If I was her, I’d live in obscurity in that small village where all the cover models are born. And I’d probably forget all about writing…
HA!!!!
LOL, Kelly!! I totally volunteer for the showered-with-gifts-by-aliens job!!!
Sold!
I predict Laurie Kellogg’s stories will begin earning a bit (hopefully a lot) of money instead of sitting on her computer.
Good luck with your self-pub launch! May it be a wildly successful venture!
I see a large credit card charge in my near future!
Absolutely! You’ve already got one of the big keys to making money in self-pub: having a bunch of books ready to go out there at once. You GO!!!!
Thanks for the fun post Vivi. I especially like the NYT list prediction.
I’m not much for the future (the present is too full of its own deadlines and demands) but I predict the Ruby blog will still be the go-to place for all advice writerly.
Cheers!
Solid prediction, EE! (And fingers crossed that you are one of our ladies to hit those lists this year!)
Oh my gosh! This is so much fun to read! I second the two Rubies as NYT bestsellers–several of you are poised to make that happen. I predict two Rubies will break into Amazon’s top 100 for Romance and one Ruby will crack top 100 overall on Amazon (even for a day!). I predict a whole lot of awesome posts on this blog
There’s a reason y’all have become my go-to blog for great reading 
Great predictions, Annabeth! And thank you for your lovely words on the blog – that means so much to us!
I love prediction day!
OK, let’s start with love and babies:
- 1 Ruby will get engaged to be married.
- 2 currently single Rubies will begin dating men who might be “the ones.”
- 3 Ruby grandchildren will be announced.
- 1 Ruby will become pregnant (how many more of us can there be??!!)
- 2 Ruby children will announce marriage engagements (not to one another, although wouldn’t that be neat!)
- my son will be born healthy and he’ll be a delightful baby who never cries (unless he has a very good reason) and who potty trains himself by the time he turns one
OK, now for the professional predictions:
- 7 more Rubies will self-publish
- 5 more Rubies will sign their first publishing contracts (including me!)
- 2 more “major” publishers will announce digital-first or digital-only imprints
- Nora Roberts will self-publish something
- My mother will stop referring to romance novels as “sex books”
and for fun…
- the Seattle Seahawks will win the NFC West
You were impressively accurate last year, Jamie. Here’s hoping you’re spot on again this year and all your predictions come true – ESPECIALLY the one about your healthy baby boy who potty trains himself.
>> and who potty trains himself by the time he turns one
Hahaha. If this one comes true, I demand that you publish a how-to guide for me.
Talk about a sure-fire best seller!
I a few things changing.
1. There will be an increase in heroines over the age of 35.
2. By the end of the year RS will see a resurgence.
3. Interactive books will move slowly into the mainstream targeting middle teens with iPads.
4. The discord and angst in the industry, at all levels, will decline with publishers and authors finding middle ground.
5. It will be discovered that the person who mapped out the Mayan calendar just got tired and quit writing.
Remember in Forrest Gump when he was running, running, running and one day he stopped because he said he was tired and wanted to go home? Same thing I think.
Ooh, I’d love to see an upsurge of mature heroines! And to things settling down in the industry – Amen. Great predictions, Rita.
Oh, yes–definitely more mature heroines!!!!
And I think once more teens have e-readers, the publishing world will see some BIG changes…those kids love their tech gadgets, and may start reading in vast numbers!
Looks like all the good ones—and the obvious ones like sleep deprived new moms—are taken. So I’ll predict, in the midst of sleep-deprivation, one our new mommies will have an epiphany of sorts during an irresistible idea will present itself. She will pursue it despite her exhaustion, elevating her writing and her career to new heights. (Heck, if you’re going to prognisticate, you might as well shoot high! *G*)
I also predict the Rubies will break new ground in the publishing world, elevating us even higher in the esteem of most of the romance community. Those who aren’t impressed will simply be jealous because they didn’t think of it first!
I’m all for shooting high. Never really thought of us as esteemed, but that’s a nice thing to aim toward.
This was too much fun, Vivi! I love all these predictions. Hey, it could happen…