Before I start this week’s blog, I must tell you that Imajin Books is
having a terrific sale until Jan. 4th. The madness of Christmas preparations and my
new day job made me remiss in telling you earlier, but there’s still time to
take advantage.
The paperback books are available at Imajin’s site.
Ebooks are available through Smashwords and Kindle. Enjoy!
As part of the sale, my novella, Dead Man Floating is only $.99!
Anyhow, it’s that time of year again, where I review the past twelve months
to see if I came close to achieving my goals. The answer is yes, so I’m happy. But
I also took on far more than I was comfortable with. To meet my goals for 2016,
I’ll need to do things differently from activities in 2014 and 2015.
You see, I returned to salaried employment in late 2013 by choice. I worked
full-time until my year-long assignment ended, and while I was grateful for the
income, it took a huge toll on my writing output. I learned from it, so that in
2015, the next assignment was part-time. It was perfect, or so I thought. It
allowed me to take on more writing-related events. I wound up conducting half a
dozen workshops and speaking engagements, a couple of book signings, and nearly
a dozen other bookselling events, not to mention the launch for my novella. By
mid-summer, I realized that my writing was again suffering.
I’m pleased with the things I’ve done and from all that I’ve learned
through these experiences, but I need to cut back. I have no workshops lined up
for 2016, again by choice. I hope to launch two more novellas and finally get
to work on the fantasy that’s been percolating in my brain for over three
years. And I now have a permanent part-time position I enjoy, so there will now
be no moving about and updating my resume and going on interviews.
Whether I’ll achieve my writing goals is the big question. I’ll still blog
weekly and write book reviews, although probably not as many as the 54 reviews
I wrote this year. I’ll promote, of course. This year, I also have personal
challenges with a family member’s slowly deteriorating health, but all writers
must learn to cope with personal challenges outside their writing lives.
I’ll tell you one thing, though. I’m excited about the coming year. Excited
to be working, excited to be writing. May you all have a lovely 2016!
