Another year is almost over and a new one is about to begin. How did this past year work out for you? Did you accomplish what you expected or are
you going to continue tracking your goals into the next year? For me, it’s a little of both…
After having published the first two books in the Jorja
Matthews mystery series, No Mother of
Mine in 2012 and Best Kept Secrets
in 2013, I got to work on the third book in the series, Ties That Bind, expecting a release date in 2014. Obviously, I made the 2014 release date, even
after hiring a new editor and working around her busy schedule, but my goals
did not stop there. I also wrote and
published a short ghost story, 1313
Psycho Path, which was released earlier in February 2014. I initially wrote the book and gave it to my
boys as a Christmas gift in December 2013, but then we decided it was something
we wanted to share with others. I have
since been asked to write a sequel to the story, and because it was such a fun
story to write, it is on my list of possibilities.
The first half of this year was spent publishing 1313 Psycho Path and completing Ties That Bind so that it could be sent
to the editor for review. The second
half of this year I spent time taking part in Camp NaNo during the month of
July so that I could complete another short story I had also hoped to have
published in 2014. The rest of the year
was spent completing Ties That Bind, and
then anxiously waiting for word back from my editor after her review of the
book, which occurred in late September. The book was returned with edits in October,
and the book was published in November. Having
published so late in the year, it was difficult to schedule book events with
the holidays in November and December literally taking up most of our time so I
will plan an event next year. I already
have a fun idea for a book event and, while it may be a challenge, I really
hope it will work out as I imagine.
I took part in only a few book events this year, a pretty
low key schedule actually. The first was
a speaking engagement at a local senior center the first half of the year. I just love senior citizens and I adore how
much they adore my books. When I meet
with them, I am reminded of my grandmother and I very much wish she had lived
long enough to see me publish my first book.
I know she’d be both tickled with joy and extremely proud. Another event that took place the second half
of the year was a craft fair I decided to join in on for the fun of it. I hadn’t actually intended on selling any
books at the fair, as I had actually made some ornaments and scrapbooks for the
event, but my third book in the series came out just before the craft fair and
I was given permission to use the event to offer the books I had available for
sale. It turned out to be a fun event
and, while I didn’t have copies yet of the third book with me, it was a great
way to promote the series.
What I wasn’t able to complete this year was the final
publication of my second short story I wrote during Camp NaNo. It’s just about ready to go but since
Thanksgiving and due to the busy time caused by the month of December, I’ve had
very little time to work on my writing.
That is about to change and I look forward to getting back into my
writing routine.
I may not have completed everything I intended to this year
but I’ve come pretty close. I feel very
accomplished by the fact that I published two books in 2014 and began working on two
more. I will continue to track my goals
from 2014 into the New Year, as I also add new ones to the mix. Completion of my second short story and
scheduling a book event are two goals I need to complete, as I also continue
working on the fourth book in the series so that it can be published in the
fall. I also plan to join Camp NaNo in
April again so that I can focus some more time on a YA novel I hope to publish sometime
next year. It will be a challenge but I
look forward to working on something completely different.
To finish off this post, here’s a short list of some of my
most popular posts for 2014:
- Editing – learning the tricks of the trade give me, and readers, a treat
- What’s your scare threshold?
- Looking for a quick read before bed?
- Game Plan in the Works
- Please don’t hate the author…
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