2015: A Retrospective (Sorta)

The end of the year is always a good time to take a look back and see what you’ve done, and, more importantly, what God’s done in your life. I think I’ve mentioned before that I’m not super into resolutions, but that I do like goals. (And I also know in some ways that’s kind of splitting hairs, but…in my brain there’s a difference. After all, goals have actionable steps. Resolutions are kind of like wishes.)

Last year, my writing goals were to put out three novels and one novella. And I met those goals with the publication of the first three books in the Taste of Romance series: A Splash of Substance, A Pinch of Promise, and A Dash of Daring and my Christmas novella, Operation Mistletoe. A bonus to that goal was the inclusion of Operation Mistletoe in the Love’s Gift boxed set. I already know of a couple of new readers who’ve found me because of that set (Hi! Welcome!) and I’ve heard from long-time readers how much they enjoyed it, so it’s win-win.

The boxed set is absolutely God at work. Being an introvert (and seriously, I’m an introvert big time), networking is probably the thing I dislike most, right after snakes. I can make myself do it (just like I can make myself go into the reptile house at the zoo), but I’m nauseated and panicky the whole time. So to have made writer friends who think of me when they start putting together boxed sets? That’s God. And I’m so grateful, not just for being included, but for the friendship of these lovely ladies that’s happened in spite of my introversion.

I had some goals on the business-y side of the writing life that…I didn’t manage quite as well. I’m not one who sets sales goals – I don’t believe in setting goals for things that are not one hundred percent within my own control – but I did have a goal of managing the business side of writing better. And I did do better, just not as well as I wanted. So that’s a big goal for this year – to keep a better handle on the ins and outs on the business side of my writing.

As far as goals for the new year writing-wise, I plan to finish up the Taste of Romance series with two more full length novels (A Handful of Hope, tentatively in the April time-frame, and then a fifth, as yet unnamed book in August-ish). I’m also planning a few more novellas this year to finish out the Operation Romance series. Operation Valentine will release the last week of January and I’m planning two, possibly three more novellas in that series this year.

I hope that gives you the same tingle of anticipation that it gives me (or something similar, at least). Are you making any goals for the new year that you’d like to share? I’d love to hear them!