How was it for you, this past year? It was one of my best. It began with my agent Gary Morris getting me a deal to write a book about my sister and my hometown. The Little Way of Ruthie Leming will be published in April 2013. I was able to spend the early months of the year interviewing people who knew Ruthie, and learning things about her I’d not known. After I finished the final draft, I took my wife and kids to Paris for a month, fulfilling a lifelong dream. There were some unpleasant things that happened — a bout with mononucleosis chief among them — but this was overall a great year for me, after two pretty crappy ones. Thanks be to God!

How was your 2012?