Welcome to 2016!

It's a new year, and that means a whole new set of "resolutions." I say it like that because I make writing goals every year, so it doesn't fit the standard model of what you might think of when someone says resolutions.

Because of my head injury last August, and the resulting recovery, I thought I'd go easy on myself for 2016. The first thing I did, with the help of my youngest daughter, was take my favorite story ideas--that I hadn't started writing yet, that was key--put them up on the dart board and whatever the dart hit was the story I'd write.

The idea stemmed from a Facebook meme, of all things, that referred to today, the first day of a new year, as the first page of your book. I thought it would be fun to write a page a day of one story, not including Sundays--because I don't write on Sundays. Including the leap day, that's 314 pages--which is a pretty respectable size book!

But one page a day is hardly any effort, and even with my head injury I figure I can do more than that. I wrote down a list of all the stories that I've started but haven't finished, figuring that by working on those stories I could feel I've accomplished something each day--except it's a sizable list. There are currently TEN books/stories I've started but haven't finished. That's a workload that doesn't exactly fall in line with the idea of going easy on myself--on my brain, which is really what I'm trying to do. Work but not overtax myself. Remind my brain that writing is something we do.

I've written in some cushions for these goals--ways to keep from overdoing it this year--because, let's face it, brain health is important. I have to strike a balance between working too hard and not working enough. I also have to give myself some leeway for bad days, days that writing even one page is too much for me.

This is that balance: While I have a lot of lofty writing goals, I have NO (zero, none) publishing goals for 2016. I mean it. If I do get around to publishing something this year it will be because the story is absolutely ready, and my only other option with it is to shelve it until 2017. Remember that at the end of 2014 and throughout 2015 I had rather lofty publishing goals--and I met every single one of them, in spite of my head injury. (of course, most of them were met before I got hurt...)

So, I plan to publish nothing in 2016. I'm going to write--which is the fun part of my job as an author--and work on the existing stories I have. Sure, I hope to have stories ready to publish in 2017, but I'm not putting a number on that. I'm not putting a deadline on it. Part of my reasoning is, as I've mentioned, to give my brain time to heal properly, but the rest of it is to help rediscover the fun of writing. This year I'm going to swashbuckle with some pirates, write a tragedy, solve a mystery in Paris, go back to Fayterra, go underground with a princess, explore the angst of a vampire with a penchant for citrus fruit, and shoot across the stars with a changeling who thinks high school on Earth will be a cinch.

Now, doesn't that sound like fun? :)

Almost There!

We're almost done with Birthright's month-long publishing campaign over at Kindle Scout. If you haven't had a chance to read the excerpt and nominate it, then CLICK HERE before July 3rd ends. We've spent the better part of the month "hot and trending"--which always sounds good--and I'm alternately hopeful and terrified that Kindle Press is considering picking up the publishing rights.

Writers are strange people, no?

Yes.

I try hard to be practical, and not worry overly about Birthright's status or chances at publication. After all, if Kindle Press doesn't pick up Verity's story I still believe in it. I'll still self publish, like with my other books. On the other hand, having access to Amazon's international distribution, audiobook options, and special promotions is all incredibly alluring.

Which, I suppose, is why I put Birthright up there in the first place.

I've also linked the publishing campaign to my Go Fund Me page, specifically because if Kindle Press chooses to publish Birthright they will give me a $1500 advance. Since Bryan's been unemployed for over 2 months now, and my editing and cover design fees aren't the only expenses racking up, I'm sure you can imagine what a boon it would be for my family to get that advance. So, in it's way, a nomination is like a donation to my Go Fund Me campaign, too. (We're both working part time and still applying for full time positions like crazy, but it's taken much longer than we'd expected)

I promise that as soon as I hear one way or the other from Kindle Press, I'll post here, on Go Fund Me, on FB, and on Twitter, and let everyone know what happened. I'm really, quite humbled by all the love and support that's been shown. Birthright has had a steady stream of interest directed its way, and I know that's all due to your support. Thank you, so much. Sure, it's a strong, entertaining story, but even the best books can go unnoticed. So, thank you.

Amendment

I hate writing these posts, as I'm sure you're sick of reading them. But I don't like dragging out the delivery of bad or disappointing news, so here it is.

I did not finish The Lost Princess in Feb as I planned, nor did I get it to my editor. Piffle.

If you've been keeping up, you know my Jan and Feb were hardly calm and relaxed. It was as though the cosmos has unleashed fierce darts and aimed them all right at my family for a while there. I didn't get the writing done in Jan that I wanted, which put me behind in Feb. I felt though that I could still catch up, and still finish the book by my deadline.

And then the unthinkable happened. I lost the story.

Not literally, but in my head. Everything that I'd mapped out and planned turned to mush in my brain. There was no conflict worth mentioning. It wasn't writer's block--it was something far worse. Like a writer's harrowing. Or writer's torment. I could write words, but none of them led anywhere useful. Ugh.

So, basically, I could have finished a book for you but it wouldn't have been worth reading. It would have been, rather than the climactic ending to a fun series, boring and disappointing--to say the least.

Rather than dwell on this disastrous failure, I've chosen to move forward with my plan. I know this means at some point one of my projects for this year won't happen, that in order to finish TLP I will have to shelve something else that I had planned to finish this year. It's interesting, and I thought I'd share, that I was really bothered by all of this until I spent some time at the temple on Friday. It's amazing what a reset in one's perspective can accomplish.

I've already scheduled another edit for later in the year. Hopefully, I can finish TLP in April and turn it in for my May edit deadline (which was supposed to be for City of Light). This means, of course, that my scheduled release for TLP of May 27th won't happen barring a miracle (which I don't discount, but also don't expect). I'm sorry about that, but at the very least I want to have it out a year after the release of The Tyrant King. I can do that.

But, as I said, I'm moving forward. I'm completing my project for March, which happens to be a ghost writing project I've been looking forward to for some time. If I finish ahead of schedule, I may take apart The Lost Princess brick by brick, or word by word, and see what can be salvaged.

And in the mean time I need to think of horrible, awful things to do to my characters.

My Promise to Me

If you remember, back in December I received the personal revelation to "quit your job and write."

I quit my job. Now, about that second part....

You and I both know things have been crazy. Death in the family. Appliances going bonkers. Computer crashing. Kids breaking bones. Illness. The list goes on. But, really, what happens without change? Nothing. I don't move forward. My family stagnates. Not fun.

So I've taken some advice from the irrepressible Jenni James deeply to heart. And I wrote out my own plan for the next year.

Starting with February. It's The Lost Princess month! This book will be finished and to the editor by February 25th.

Then in March I have a little ghost writing project to complete, finishing it up in April when I will then tackle the next 200 pages of City of Light.

Basically, it's like this: While the kids are in school, I'm writing. If I'm not writing, I'm editing. I have plenty of time to get my social networking in, or relaxing, or reading, after the kids go to bed. While the kids are home, I belong to them. In the summer I'm going to edit more because it's easier for me to do it in chunks.

And by February 2014 I will have published 4 more novels and 3 more short stories.

Whew. That's big. That's like, a year. Epic. But I'm going to do it.

Here's the publishing rundown:

The Lost Princess will be out May 27, 2013.
City of Light will be out August 26, 2013.
Verity (title pending) will be out September 11, 2013.
Price of Love will be out October 5, 2013.
Beauty of Others (working title) will be out November 30, 2013.
By Degrees will be out January 4, 2014.
Tea for Two will be out February 1, 2014.

So, if you don't see me online much you'll know why. I'm making my dreams happen. I can do it, too, with a LOT of help from God and a little help from my friends. :)

Oh, hi.

I haven't meant to not be here lately. In addition to my wildly exciting desire and drive to write, I've been hit with a couple of fastballs. First my back decided to freak out and stop working properly, and then, before my back got better, my immune system crashed--and let bronchitis and a sinus infection in. Rude.

I'm still working on getting better, and I haven't let it derail my writing plans so soon after committing to them, but it did slow me down. Hey, I'm as human as the next girl.

I'm really just checking in--to let you know I'm still here and going strong for 2012. But the kids are going to be home any minute so I gotta fly. :)