So long 2018…it’s been great knowing you!

Another New Year is about to begin…are you ready?

Ocean Shores

I wasn’t sure what to expect from 2018, to be honest, since this was going to be my first year away from the day job, but as I reflect on this past year I will say I'm happy. When I reviewed my year with photos, I was reminded of all the fun this year has been, and when I reviewed each month with regard to my author life, I feel satisfied with how I tackled my first year.

In February I was finally able to publish the fourth book in the Jorja Matthews mystery series, Cross My Heart. This was perfect timing considering the next two months or so I was sidetracked with my new puppy, Jozee, who demanded much more of my time than I had anticipated. 

The rest of this past year I focused on writing the fifth book in the series, which is almost complete and has an appointment with my editor in February. I also published another book, this time trying my hand with nonfiction with Note to My Author Self. This was a book I decided to share with readers but which was written for myself; because I needed to. Some books are just born that way.

Over the past year I took part in multiple events to include speaking engagements and book signings in May, June and November, an in-person women’s business conference, an in-person writer’s conference, multiple business and author webinars, and full day or week-long online seminars. Now that I’m looking back at the number of events I took part in, I realize I could have provided updates on these events in order to share some of what I learned at each event. I can still do that, in time if I get to it, but this next year I plan to stay on top of those updates. Due to some extensive organizing this past month, I’ve mapped out a plan on what I need to do in order to accomplish that goal.

I’ve worked from home before, when I was a private investigator for over a dozen years, so I knew I could do it. However, I also figured I’d have to expect setbacks after going back to an office job for a handful of years before changing things up to work from home again. The first half of the year I winged it in a semi-organizational way, but eventually I had to concede to the idea that I had to get serious with the business of writing and finally create a business plan. Originally, I planned on quarterly business plans with the idea of moving to six-month plans, but I’ve since decided I prefer going over them every three months. I know that reviewing my plan four times a year will help keep me on task.

I changed the look of my blog, which was time-consuming but rewarding when I realized how much I preferred the final result. I teeter-tottered back and forth about whether or not I would join National Novel Writing Month in November but eventually decided not to let the challenge take priority over my current WIP, considering how close I was to completing it.

I’ve updated my writing calendar so that I can begin 2019 with fresh new pages for my writing updates and to-do’s and I’m currently working on putting together a new bullet journal for this next year. I first wrote about using a bullet journal in January when it was still fairly new to me and I wasn’t even sure if I was going to be able to stick with it because my attempts at the end of 2017 were hit and miss. However, I’m pleased to say I was able to stick with it the whole year and I’ve enjoyed creating my new journal for 2019. I look forward to filling in each page as I move ahead in another productive year.

I hope you also look forward to the coming New Year and that it will be ripe with possibilities, full of inspiration and complete with satisfying results.

Happy New Year!

A Year in Photos; Proof of Where Time has Gone

I hope you’re enjoying the weekend and that you find time between all the hustle and bustle to take a breather before jumping in on the holiday fun with family. I’m looking forward to a brand new year, but I was feeling a little nostalgic while going through photos of this past year. 

It’s been a busy year, but it’s also been a fulfilling year. 

While it was difficult to choose just one photo per month, I thought I’d share the past year in photos with some of my favorites:

January:

Koa and Kai move in – at this point we only had Mandy, our 10-year old (9 at the time) lab/border collie mix. It took her about three months to get comfortable with having cats around the house again.

Koa & Kai

February:

Jozee became a part of our family – and Mandy didn’t like us much at this point. She was still keeping her distance from Koa and Kai, but she had no idea how to deal with an energetic pup who insisted on trying to force playtime.

Jozee & her first day with us

March:

Life with pets – I enjoy posting photos like this, along with videos, to share our life with pets on my Instagram account @ www.instagram.com/pj_howell. Not just the cute photos, but how they make us laugh or on those days when I can only shake my head and wonder how long each stage is going to last.

Someone has an issue with the tissue

April:

It was my birthday and we celebrated with a few days in Vegas. You can never go wrong celebrating your special day.

Vegas b-day trip

May:

Jozee was not quite five months when we took her to the beach for the first time. She loved it – this is a cute photo my son took when she was looking out at the water.

Life is a beach

June:

We decided Mandy didn’t have enough playmates so we brought home a rescue we named Booker. He wasn’t sure what to think about moving in with two dogs and two older kittens (who were turning one in July), but he settled in fairly quickly and has been an adorable and fun addition to the family.

Booker is dreaming he caught a mouse

July:

Jozee loves going for walks and we thoroughly enjoyed roaming both Washington and Oregon in order to find new parks to explore.

Lake Sacajawea

August:

Road trips are my favorite, especially when we get to visit Montana and Wyoming. We had to change things up with our itinerary due to the fires at Glacier Park, but we never fail to enjoy ourselves when we get to explore these two particular states. I share photos of both local and out-of-state places we visit on my Instagram account at www.instagram.com/road_trip_junkie.

Montana river

September:

Last year I enjoyed Halloween Horror Nights with my boys and we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity again this year, especially when I’m able to enjoy the world of Harry Potter during the day.

HP world at Universal

October:

The weather in the Pacific Northwest was so beautiful and mild throughout October and into November, so that we were able to continue enjoying walks at local parks during the change in the seasons.

Tumwater Falls park

November:

Jozee is one month shy of turning a year old and I just adore her.

Jozee

December:

When someone in your family turns 21 years old and you can make Vegas happen, it will leave you with lasting memories. Even better is when your visit is this time of year, when you also get to enjoy all the holiday spirit and decorations around every corner.

Vegas and the holidays

So that’s my year in photos. We made great memories and have a lot to be thankful for. When my husband asks me what I want for Christmas, I can truthfully say, “nothing,” because the whole year has been one wonderful gift and nothing in wrapping paper could ever compare.

I hope your year has also been a great one and that you made your own wonderful memories.

Merry Christmas/Happy Holidays

Delete, delete and…delete

I’ve pretty much had it with my inbox. Maybe you feel the same? I believe it’s time to purge again.

It all started before Black Friday —I began to feel beaten down by the extreme number of emails screaming at me from their subject line to take advantage of this or that deal…

Booker will help delete emails
whether I want him to or not!

24 hours only! Delete

Last call! Delete

Deals made just for you! Delete

Save big NOW! Delete

Only a few hours left! Delete

And I’ll end with the one that said “I need to apologize…” in the subject line, but the body of the email informed me that the apology was because I’d have a difficult time making a decision on which deal to choose from. This one upset me because I usually read this blogger’s emails and she roped me in to a Black Friday sales pitch. Delete

There were more. Many more. I’m sure you likely received your fair share.

I enjoy the bloggers, authors and business entrepreneurs I follow who may have used a freebie to gain my email address but who share more of themselves and their experiences while limiting their requests to buy their products or services. Sadly, they have become fewer and far between, with many gaining email addresses only to dump multiple emails daily or weekly with sales pitches and special offers. If you make a purchase, you’re still buried in sales pitches; or worse, some send emails to ask why you’re not taking them up on such a great offer.

I was so tired of seeing multiple emails and requests to buy that I decided not to take part in Black Friday or Cyber Monday in an attempt to make additional sales for my own books. Did I cut off my nose to spite my face? Maybe. But it’s also possible that if I had taken part, my sales offers would have just been lost in the large shuffle of offers already out there. I made the decision to save additional sales pitches or offers until after the holidays. And I feel good about it.

I think that’s enough time spent on my rant, and rather than end this post on a negative tone, I thought I’d share with you a few of the women who I still enjoy seeing pop up in my inbox:

Susannah Conway @ https://www.susannahconway.com – Susannah is an “author, photographer and teacher who’s been sharing her heart online for over a decade.” I’ve been following Susannah for a couple of years and I enjoy receiving her newsletters, which she calls love letters. She is full of heart and soul, is extremely honest with some of the ups and downs in life, shares classes you can take part in with her and also shares free journaling and photography challenges. My favorite freebie from Susannah is the Unravel Your Year workbook she sends out at the end of each year, which I recently received and can’t wait to work on so that I can compare it to the workbook I completed last year.

Naomi Bulger @ https://www.naomiloves.com - Naomi is a “writer, illustrator…on a path to live a life with more simplicity, greater creativity and deliberate kindness.” She shares thoughts about letter-writing, parenting, creative work and life, and slow living and her mission is to help busy women explore their creativity, share their stories and find their tribe. Her newsletters are thoughtful and sincere and include fun mail art templates you can color if you’re so inclined to use them for snail mail. Or have fun with them just because you like to color. J

Allie @ https://www.thejourneyjunkie.com – Allie is a “body-mind-soul advocate and personal home yoga teacher.” She offers classes, challenges, journal prompts, yoga videos and more. I’ve been learning about and practicing yoga for over two years and it is a constant WIP, as with any exercise routine, and there are high and low points with feelings of success, setbacks and self-doubt. I appreciate and am inspired by Allie’s honesty and no-BS-attitude when it comes to how she deals with her own highs and lows while keeping up with her own practice and running her business.

Beth Kempton @ https://bethkempton.com/about and who is also the Founder of Do What You Love @ https://dowhatyouloveforlife.com/blog. Beth is an author, speaker, traveler and entrepreneur and her mission is to show you how to direct your own life, choose your path and manifest happiness. I enjoy her newsletters complete with her thoughts, updates and inspirational and helpful life and business tips. For the past two years I’ve enjoyed receiving the Do What You Love New Year’s Revolution kit, which is a calendar and workbook to help with accountability and commitments. I’m hopeful this kit will be offered again for 2019 because it’s visually appealing and I’ve been using it in my project binder to help me stay on task with my monthly goals.

These women have something to share, and something to sell, but they continue to hold my trust by continuously holding a conversation rather than expecting constant commerce between parties. Their emails and newsletters are an example of what I look forward to spying in my inbox between all the emails I delete. They have done what others have not; made me feel as if I’m receiving an email from a friend.

And that’s a job well done.

How about you? Do you receive newsletters from someone who inspires you or offers helpful information? If so, I’d love to hear about them.

December is dubbed the project month

In addition to finding the perfect tree, decorating for the holidays and spending time with family, the month of December also means a handful of projects for me…

Completing the fifth book in the series so that I can begin editing and revising before it’s shipped off to my editor. I’m excited to complete this novel and move on to the next project, as well as my next project idea of a new series. In addition to other book ideas I’d like to play with, another series might be a lot to take on but I’m excited about it and I know that the idea will continue to chatter at me until I put words on paper. That series will be a WIP for a bit, so I’ll share more once I have more to share. J

The beginning of a new bullet journal for 2019 – this past year was my first year using a bullet journal and while it took some getting used to, I thoroughly enjoy using it over a preprinted calendar that doesn’t accommodate everything I need on a given day or in a whole week. I’ve decided to continue with bullet journaling, which is a good thing since I have SO many journals I’ve purchased that I need to make use of. I’ll schedule a post after the first of the year to share how I put together my bullet journal, for those who might be interested.

A new writing calendar for 2019 – although I have pages earmarked for “author stuff and ideas” in my bullet journal, I track all of my writing notes in a separate calendar/planner so that I can track my word count, author and marketing to-do’s based on my business plan, author events and so on. This calendar is also where I track the days of my characters in the series, which is something else I think I’ll share about in another post. My writing calendar helps me so that when I reflect on the previous year, in preparation for the coming year, everything is in one place and not mixed together with a bunch of personal items I’d have to sift through.

My business plan for the first quarter of 2019 – originally when I wrote about finally putting together my first business plan, I thought I might switch from quarterly to bi-yearly. However, after tracking my to-do’s over the course of almost three quarters, I decided to stick with quarterly plans. Having quarterly reviews fits my business model better and I believe they will help keep me accountable while a six-month plan might be a recipe for procrastination. I’ll be sharing more in a later post with a year-in-review and my plans for 2019.

Organization – seriously, this is a constant WIP but lately I’ve spent a lot of time going over everything I use in my writing life in an attempt to figure out what works, what I can utilize better and what I need to just cut loose (some days, Facebook is high on that list). I have so many ideas, not only with what I want to write, but also what I need to do when it comes to my author platform, marketing and promotion. Too many ideas, really. I want to work smarter, not harder, so that I also have plenty of time to write. Now that I’ve organized everything and condensed my lists, the focus is…what to really focus on. More on this will probably be included in my year-in-review or when I share quarterly updates after the first of the year.

I’m also thinking about my reading list for next year – not that I actually make a list. It’s more like a stack of books I keep adding to on my book shelf that I need to read next. While I have a large stack waiting for me, I’m torn between sticking to a bunch of smaller titles or finally beginning the Game of Thrones series. I loved the TV series and I’m looking forward to how much better I’m certain the books will be. Plus, I think reading them during the winter months of January and February will be the perfect fit.

If you’re curious about my 2018 reading list – here’s a list of the fiction titles I read this past year:

Cookbook Conspiracy by Kate Carlisle

My Sister’s Grave by Robert Dugoni

Fatal Frost by Karen MacInerney

Red Velvet Cupcake Murder by Joanne Fluke

Lemonade and Lies by Agatha Frost

I’d Know You Anywhere by Laura Lippman

Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah

Eaves of Destruction by Kate Carlisle

All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda

Postcards from the Dead by Laura Childs

The One That Got Away by Simon Wood

Dying for a Taste by Leslie Karst

Deadly Brew by Karen MacInerney

Deja Moo by Kirsten Weiss

Year One by Nora Roberts

Mistletoe Murder by Karen MacInerney (currently reading)

I may be able to add one more book to my reading list this month while I focus on my projects but it won’t stop me from enjoying the season and time I plan to spend with family. December is going to be full of seasonal festivities, family fun, productive projects and time spent reading holiday themed books when the mood strikes. I’d say that’s a great way to spend this last month of the year.

I hope your month will also be full of what makes you happy.

Until next time…

When the holidays sneak up on you

Koa - cute, cuddly and a big baby

Thanksgiving seems early this year, or maybe it came up on us fast, I’m not quite sure. My dental hygienist had a good laugh at my expense the other day when I asked about scheduling an appointment for next week. She shook her head and told me next week wouldn’t work because it was Thanksgiving.

I actually replied to her in astonishment with, “No it’s not.”

And then she showed me the calendar.

I use calendars, obviously. I’m a paper planner addict and have one for both my personal and writing life. How the heck did I miss that next week is Thanksgiving? In my defense, I’ve been busy with writing, marketing and book promotions, a book event, and planning ahead for book promotions throughout the rest of the year.

In addition, I enjoy celebrating Halloween all through October and realistically, I begin to think about Christmas on November 1st. I am one of those people, yes, who begins to listen to Christmas music or watch holiday movies right after Halloween. Thanksgiving is just another day smack dab in the middle of ghost stories and holiday baking.

Although, I have to say I enjoy left-over turkey sandwiches. If I had to choose, other than time spent with family, that is my favorite part of the holiday.

And pumpkin pie.

Can’t forget the pie.

Okay, now I’m looking forward to Thanksgiving. J

Joking aside, this month is more about family. The food is just a bonus.

In addition to family, my other focus this month was on writing and health/wellness. My writing schedule is still going well and I’ve been able to reach my word count just about every day. As for the remainder of my focus for the month, I took part in a fitness challenge and did about half as well as I expected but ended with a better mindset and some good advice on what I need to do to stick with a routine. I also began a gratitude journal the beginning of the month and I’ve actually stuck with it - I’ve tried to do this before but would usually fizzle out after a week or so. And, I began a new meditation practice this past week that has helped me feel calmer this time of year than I remember ever feeling before.

I guess that explains why I didn’t completely freak out when I found out next week was the holiday. I’m not prepared and plans are still up in the air, but I’m okay with that. Which is a bit odd, coming from me. I suppose that’s additional proof the meditation technique is working.

Other than not keeping up with what date the holiday was landing on, the month of November is providing for me what I had hoped. And considering the fact that December is going to be a fairly busy month, I will appreciate the limited focus in November. It’s something else I will add to my grateful journal.

Whatever your plans for the holiday and the rest of the month, I hope you find time to be with family and celebrate the areas in your life you can be grateful for.

Another FREE eBook - 11:11 Anna's Awakening

How's the weekend going for you?

If you're stuck inside because of the cold or rain, or just because you enjoy hanging out at home to relax the week away, I hope you're enjoying your day.

If you are relaxing, are you in the mood to read a book? If so, I have a short story available for you, and it's FREE!

Beginning today Nov. 10 through Monday Nov. 12, the eBook of 11:11 Anna's Awakening will be available for free, so if you don't yet have a copy, make sure to take advantage of this offer before it ends.

Get your copy here

If you're curious, here's an idea of what the story is about:

Everyone deals with grief in their own way.  Death can bring families closer together; sometimes it can tear them apart. Only time can heal the wounds to build stronger relationships and while some relationships survive, sadly, others do not. This is the story of two parents who suffer a great loss and attempt to build a new relationship with the memory of their loved one between them. But as they both work through their grief, their relationship is threatened by many things…fear, anger, selfishness, even greed. As husband and wife tend to their needs to survive the numbing loss, one of them must become acutely aware of these threats in order to change their fate.    

A few facts about this story: 11:11 comes from the idea of what it might mean to see a particular number again and again, which is what occurs to my character, Anna, while she's dealing with the loss of her child along with a fractured marriage. This is a story where I thought I knew what was going to happen to the protagonist, but she surprised me and ultimately, the ending did as well. It's stories like this, and characters who determine their own fate above what I believe I have in store for them, that continue to make writing such an enjoyable calling.

I hope you take the opportunity to obtain your free copy and if you do and you enjoy the story, please remember to leave a review on Amazon. Every single review helps immensely.

Thanks & enjoy the rest of your weekend! 

      

The top 3 things I’ll focus on this November

I’m a self-proclaimed klutz and it’s not uncommon for me to wind up with bruises and no memory of how I got them. My husband just shakes his head when he hears me exclaim after stubbing a toe or running my leg into the corner of a table or slamming my arm into a door frame. Actual falling, fortunately, isn’t usual for me but I have to stay on guard to avoid completely tripping and landing flat on my face or back. 

I enjoy this time of year when “falling back” has nothing to do with my inability to walk a straight line or avoid hitting a solid object. When falling back gives me the opportunity to sleep in, even though I’m getting up at the normal time, and when it allows the day to move just a bit slower each time I realize it’s not as late as I think it is.

Gaining that extra hour is just one more bonus to this, my favorite time of year, along with fuzzy socks, hot drinks, cozy blankets while watching movies and the beautiful array of colors outside as the trees shed their summer coats.

Today I’m using the extra hour to soak in what a good month October was, as I review what I have mapped out for the month of November. As noted in my last post, October was going well, both with my writing and my personal life, and the trend continued with a high word count the last full week of the month and fun times celebrating Halloween.

To keep up with the trend, I expect good things from the month of November. So far, the month has begun with another book event of my own at the annex of a local church. This was a first for me as far as venues go, so I wasn’t sure what to expect and while it worked out a bit differently than other events, I enjoyed what turned in to a type of round table discussion. I answered questions and discussed my books and my writing life, but each of the ladies who attended also added to the discussion as it pertained to their lives, their pets or their work history, whether they were currently working or living on retirement. One of those in attendance was formerly employed by the sheriff’s office, is now currently working as an investigator for the state and also has rescue dogs, so she and I had quite a lot to chat about. Another brought her little dog to the event, and for awhile that small dog stole the show with how adorable it was. I feel good about the fact that as I continue to hold book events, I can still be pleasantly surprised by how the events turn out. There really are no dull moments when it comes to this writing life and because I’m starting out the month with a grateful journal, I’ll place that in the number one spot.

I’ve decided that the rest of November I will focus on three things: writing, health/wellness and family. I had thought of entering NaNoWriMo this year but after some reflection on what that would mean for me, I decided this year was not a good time to join. NaNoWriMo requires 50,000 words to win and I’m about three-quarters of the way through my fifth Jorja mystery, so I won’t need 50,000 words to complete the novel. Also, I think NaNoWriMo is better suited to jumping in head first on a new novel and I can’t justify setting aside my current WIP just to join the challenge. I’ll continue to write as I have been, knowing that I should be able to look forward to a completed first draft by the end of November. Hooray!

Instead of joining the NaNoWriMo challenge, I decided to join two other challenges that will focus on health and wellness. The first will focus on a new fitness routine and tips that I can use throughout the month, which is much needed when holiday foods can cause havoc on the scale and I’d prefer to enjoy holiday gatherings without counting calories. The other challenge involves making time for some soul care and includes keeping a gratitude journal, meditation, prayer and fasting. After all the fixings of a turkey dinner at the end of the month, I’m sure I’ll be more than ready for some fasting.

Those two challenges won’t take much from me or require too much of my time during the day, but each will benefit me greatly during this season and while I continue to focus on taking care of myself while I also keep up with my weekly word count.

Last, but certainly not least, I look forward to time spent with family. Each day is a good opportunity to make memories, which is something I’ll take advantage of when I can and continue to be grateful for. It’s also what I’ll end this post on so that I can add it to today’s grateful list.

Have a great day and a great(ful) week!