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.

Cover Reveal!

I've been so caught up in finishing the last book in my Cotillion series that I've neglected the fact the second bundle–books 4 through 6– is due for release right after Christmas.

This is a great way to catch up on the series, and this set of books, The Tempestuous Debutante, Blinded By Grace and The Duplicitous Debutante, are among my favorites. Each book involves a deb ball, of all things. Here's a little bit about each:

The Tempestuous Debutante–It’s Jasmine Fitzpatrick’s year to shine at this season’s Cotillion and men will be throwing themselves at her. But she sets her sights on a man she’s never met, the Viscount of Foxborough. He’s wealthy and has an English title. Only a few things stand in her way: a wealthy, young, beautiful widow who captures the viscount’s attention immediately, her fear of riding horses when he owns a breeding stable and racetrack, and the viscount’s stableboy, Parr.

Blinded By Grace–In 1858 New York City, Halwyn Fitzpatrick thinks he's off the hook for attendance at the annual Cotillion Ball. He has no sister to shepherd down the grand staircase this year and no real desire to go through the rituals of courtship and betrothal himself. Besides, he’ll know the right girl when he sees her, especially now that he has new spectacles. But his mother has other plans for him. At twenty-seven years of age, her son is in dire need of a wife.

The Duplicitous Debutante–In 1859, ladies of New York society are expected to do three things well: find a husband, organize a household, and have children. But despite her mother’s best intentions, making her debut is the last thing on Rosemary Fitzpatrick’s mind. Writing the popular Harry Hawk dime novels as F.P. Elliott, she’s too busy hiding her female identity from her new publisher, Henry Cooper. To protect her clandestine career, she ends up posing as the enigmatic author’s secretary.

This bundle is to be released on December 28, and pre-orders are available now here: http://amzn.to/1Nei5md

I hope you can fill up your days off between Christmas and New Year's by reading these three books. Thank you for your support over this past year. For those of you who celebrate, Merry Christmas! 

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!

Wrapping Things Up

This time of year, the phrase wrapping things up can have multiple meanings. Presents, obviously. Finished baking all those Christmas goodies. Decorations up all over the house. Check, check and check.

For a writer, though, wrapping things up has even more meaning. By the end of the year I need to finish the first draft of a new book, come up with a business plan for next year and start pulling together my tax information. This will be the first year since I began my publishing journey where I have no deadlines to meet. Instead of it being scary, I'm excited about the opportunity to explore new avenues toward publishing. But to do that, I need a game plan. Need to get all my x's and o's lined up.  How many books do I plan to write next year? Will they be historical or contemporary? Will I finally plunge into self-publishing or will I spend my energy finding a new agent? Can I find more ways to make money from my writing? The "To-Do"list grows longer every day.

A few things have disappeared from my list, but as soon as one item gets crossed off, it seems I think of something else that needs doing.

I'll get there. And if I happen to leave something on my plate, I know it will be there, waiting for me, when I return to my computer and desk. Unless, of course, it's pumpkin pie crumbs. They'll be gone. In the meantime, I'm going to learn how to chill.