Dreams

The Summer Olympics are just around the corner and I started watching the selection process for the women's gymnastics team this weekend. A sign in the Karolyi gym caught my eye.

The same holds true for any kind of artistic endeavor. Maybe, as authors, we don't have the rock hard bodies of those tiny jumping machines, but if you could peer inside our minds...

Like most everyone else, I have dreams and goals, updated with each milestone I hit. With books 14 and 15 coming out this year, my new goal is to reach the 25-book mark at RWA, for which I'll get a pin. The pin doesn't matter, it's the goal that counts.

When I take a moment to look back, I can't believe how far I've come in such a short time. Admittedly, it hasn't been an overnight success, since every dime I make goes back into advancing my career, but someday soon, I hope to give myself a paycheck. But where would I be if I'd let my dreams of becoming a published author scare me? Since 2012, when my first book came out, my career has been a snowball, starting off slowly and getting a little bigger each year, with each book. I've made some really good friends, I've figured out that there's no such thing as being a complete author, since there's always more to learn, but you do your best and make each new book better than the last. And I've finally found an outlet for all those voices that have been rolling around in my head for years.

Yes, my dreams back when I began this journey scared me, but I decided to face the fear and forge ahead. I'm so glad I did, since my life since has been filled with the highest of highs as well as some not so fun lows. A lot of people say they want to write a book, but few actually finish one and send it out for people to critique, or offer a contract. At least I can say I did it.

End of the Year

For those of you keeping score, let me recap my year.

Three ambulance rides.
Three surgeries, all on the same hip.
Three books published.

I'm sensing a pattern here. So here's my plan for next year, once I get past the recuperative phase from surgery #3.

Find one good agent.
Once again, have two good legs.
Publish three books.

Hopefully, as you read this, I'm recovering from the third surgery. And, if I finished my list of things to get done before then, one of the three books is back to the publisher after first edits, and I've managed to finish the flash first draft of the third one. I may have even gotten around to putting up the tree, or at least finding my Christmas wreath.

The jury is still out on the two good legs, and the one good agent search will commence once I polish up the flash draft. But at least my publishing schedule will remain on track. Although I'd dearly love to add another book or two to the roster by the end of 2016.

Pushing my boundaries is what I'm all about. I hope 2016 will see you pushing yours as well. Here's hoping for a healthy and prosperous year on the horizon. Have a safe and happy New Year's Eve, everyone.

One Step Forward

It seems as if this past year has been one of taking a step forward and then flailing wildly. Botched operations, both medically and professionally, have set me back a year from fulfilling my goals.

I am declaring an end to it all right now. My hip will be fixed, my foray into self-publishing will happen, I will find an agent who appreciates my talents. I will not venture forth with any publishing houses who are just starting up, nor will I take any offer just because it comes my way. I will spruce up my website now that I have enough of a backlist to make it look like something, and I will continue to enjoy the success of the Cotillion Ball Series, the final book of which will be released in March. I will attend the RWA conference in July. I will become a hybrid in 2016, both in the genres I write and in the way I bring them to market. Here's a picture of a "liger," a cross between a lion and a tiger. This is what I'll become.

Look out, publishing world!