2013 Year In Review

Oh my goodness how time flies. I say this at the end of every year when I sit down to write up a blog post on the past year’s accomplishments. Which kind of feels like bragging and makes me uncomfortable, but I also think it’s good to keep track of what’s happened in my life, to remember the ups more than the downs and provide hope for the coming year.

I started 2013 with a list of goals…none of which I really remember at this point. I made some “business” goals in terms of book sales for the year because I’d been watching other authors do so back in January. I pretty much abandoned them, however, when they didn’t get much traction. I went through a period of serious soul-searching regarding my writing/publishing career and finally came to terms with what I want and need, and not what I’m “supposed to do.” It’s still a struggle sometimes navigating social media, branding, and marketing, but I’m doing the best I can. Most of all, I continue to write because I love stories and have many to tell.

Speaking of stories, I wrote and published way more this past year than I thought I was capable of. Part of that probably had to do with a season of the best health I’ve seen since I was…well, 14 and first got an insulin pump.

Dreamstealer, the second book in the Dreamwalker saga, came out in April, and I’d already started writing book three, which turned into books three and four. In between those I wrote a novella for one of the secondary characters: Dirk. Dream Assassin came out in June, Dreamsnatcher in November, and Dreamweaver just three weeks ago. WOW. I spent all of 2013 in the Dreamwalker world and it was a beautiful, heartwarming journey. I will miss it.

This past summer I also tried my hand at my very first Vote Your Adventure type story, and you guys helped me write a short tale featuring Paige from the Elemental Magic world. That stretched my writing–and pantsing–abilities to new heights.

In other news, I passed the national certification exam for sign language interpreting, and Earth Tones won the 2013 Best Indie Book Award for Fantasy. You could’ve knocked me over with a feather on both. I am so grateful for all the people who helped me achieve these things, from friends who helped me study for the exam and gave me pep talks when I was doubting myself, to those who critiqued and read Earth Tones.

I can’t claim sole credit for any of my accomplishments, for I wouldn’t be here without the support and guidance of dear friends and the Lord’s hand. These are the things I need to hold onto moving forward into 2014, for while 2013 held an abundance of blessings, that season of great health in the spring didn’t last past summer and this fall has been a struggle. But that’s part of the purpose behind this post: I did all this once; I can do it again.

So what’s ahead for 2014? Well, I’ve already made good progress writing Elemental Magic 4 with a tentative publication date in Spring. Now that the Dreamwalker series is complete, I can hopefully get out a few more Elemental Magic books before I start a new fantasy series that’s been simmering on the back burner. 😀

AND, speaking of the Elemental Magic series, I also spent the past few months rebranding the series’ image. That was a little exhausting, but I’m so thrilled with how the new covers turned out and the cohesiveness they now have. Don’t they look great? Covers by Shelley at Spittyfish Designs.

     

So how did you all do this past year, and what are your big plans for 2014?

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2012: A Year in Review

When the calendar year turns another slot, people look ahead to making a new start. They set resolutions or goals, planning to make the coming year even better than the last. I’ve got some major career goals for 2013, in both publishing and interpreting, but right now I want to take a moment to reflect. For me, it’s not just another year down, but also another year older (although I keep waiting for the birthday when I suddenly feel like an adult, lol). I don’t believe in wiping the slate clean for a new year and forgetting about whatever disappointments and failures bogged you down the last time. I believe we can learn from those let-downs and be better for it.

That isn’t to say 2012 was a bad year for me; on the contrary, it was a good one. And I can’t believe it’s over. It seems like not that long ago I was looking back on the accomplishments of 2011 and making plans for 2012, and yet it also seems like forever ago the things I did.

I published three books this past year: Dry Spell, Dreamwalker, and Earth Tones. With each one I’ve grown in my craft and I hope to continue growing, bringing you better and better stuff. One of the major ways I’ve grown is by having honest feedback. I’ll admit to you all that when I pulled Dreamwalker out of the dusty file folder to publish, I thought I’d cast this seven-year-old piece of writing to the world. Several people previewed the book beforehand, but only one person took the time to point out to me how it was so far from ready. I yanked the book and reworked it, working my butt off. If that meant embarrassing myself by not making my publishing date, so be it, because in the end everyone benefited from a better story. Honest feedback is hard to take, and equally, if not more, hard to give. But I will be forever grateful to that person.

I also attempted to write a book that failed. Some of you might remember when I talked about writing a character with all the same health problems as me. It seemed like a good idea, but after 41,000 words and coming to the edge of the climax, it flopped, or rather I did. But you know what, I don’t have to publish each and every word that I pen. Maybe someday I’ll go back to that story, when I have some emotional distance from that character’s pain and heartache I know all too well.

The experience did lead me to my current work in progress, the sequel to Dreamwalker. I’ve mostly published urban fantasy, even though I started my writing passion years ago as a straight fantasy writer, and I find my love for that angle rekindled. I’m not abandoning the Elemental Magic series, but you’re going to start seeing a little more variety from me in 2013.

Speaking of which, if you haven’t signed up for the newsletter yet, you might want to. I’ll be bringing in the new year with an exclusive sneak peek of my next book, Dreamstealer. Don’t miss it!

And you have to check this out: Dreamwalker is being featured in a Mad Libs style game over on Jen Kirchner’s blog. Go give your word suggestions and come back Friday to see how the scene plays out!

Happy New Year!

“Get Over It”–Wisdom from a teenager

Kids are funny.  They have unique perspectives on life, and adults can usually get a good laugh out of them.  My mom was going through old boxes and found this essay my sister wrote back in ninth grade.  While incredibly amusing now, this is just one of the many reasons I will never have children.  😉

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Responsibility means to have important duties and being able to fulfill them.

They are obligations to yourself and sometimes other people.

My responsibilities now are to work hard in school and to bring my grades up.  Since the school year is almost over I don’t have time to do that now but next year I’ll try for a 4.0.  (Yeah, cus why do today what you can put off until next year?)

I also have responsibilities to do my chores on time and I do try but sometimes I don’t have enough time.  My family thinks I have plenty of time but what they don’t know is that I’m busy with my priorities.  My responsibilities are not one of my main priorities right now.  My priorities are to my friends who need help and to my walk with Christ.

Those to me are more important than school and chores and I will try harder to do my chores and school better but that’s not going to come before what I think is important.  (So what did she do?  Well, she convinced my mother that she would clean one part of her room at a time.  Translation: take everything on the desk and throw it under the bed.  The next week, take everything under the bed and toss it in the closet.  And round and round we went…  She even stuffed everything under the rug once.  Um, hello?  Like that’s not obvious.  In contrast, my room was always spotless.  Seriously, I knew every time that little brat was in my stuff because I could tell when a single item was turned sideways.  Like Monk.)

Getting good high school grades will be a responsibility and priority so I can get into the college I want to go to.  College will be a huge responsibility for me so I can do what I want later in life.   (Too bad that later in life turned into tattoos and being engaged to a guy named “Pony.”)

You learn about responsibilities by sometimes not doing them, like not doing chores one week means there’s a lot more to do the next week which makes it harder to complete.  (My sister was an expert negotiator.  She would agree to do one thing now, and another later, except she always timed it so she wouldn’t be around to do the second thing, and someone else [Mom] would have to do it for her.)

When you do your chores it can help the people around you because they won’t have to do them for you.  When you don’t do your chores that makes other people have to do them for you in order for them to make dinner, etc.  (My sister would volunteer to make dinner, and afterward say that since she cooked, Mom should clean.  Except she used every pot and pan we had, and left food and sauce dripping down the counters and cabinets.  Mom’s reaction?  “Don’t cook anymore.  I’d rather go out.”)

Sometimes people have to be flexible.  Like when someone doesn’t do a chore because they are too busy then the other person could do it for them or just leave it and get over the fact that now the little perfect plan has been ruined because someone didn’t clean the kitchen.  Get a wake up call.  There’s more important things in life.  (Apparently.)

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With 2012 before us and New Year’s resolutions and goals taking up our thoughts, I suppose the message is, in kinder terms, be flexible.  😉

Got a story of your kids that drove you crazy when they did it but you can look back on and laugh at now?  Do you get overwhelmed with goals and plans for the new year?  Another round of Row80 has started, and its motto can be applied to everything–make goals to fit your life, and if your life changes, it’s okay for the goals to change too.  Happy New Year!  🙂

A Year of Harvest

2012 is here.  I don’t normally look back on a year and reflect on it.  I don’t stay up till midnight, counting down the seconds until a new year, a new life.  The transition is as normal and mundane as Monday going into Tuesday.  Yet, this time, I have a lot to reflect on, a lot to be thankful for.

I graduated from my interpreting training program (an accomplishment when you consider the average dropout rate).  On the same day, I published my first paranormal romance on Amazon and Smashwords.  You can imagine how high on Cloud Nine I was.  In the Fall, I found work in my field (also an accomplishment in today’s economy), published my second novel, and wrote the first draft of its sequel.

Plus, the arrival of January marks the four-month milestone of my being 100% gluten free, something I never thought would happen.  When I finally went off the gluten back in August because of a health scare, I didn’t think I’d last one month.  I certainly never expected to make it to the new year.  Not only did I make it, but I’m not even tempted to break faith.  Bring on five months of gluten-free.  Six.  Maybe even a year.  I’m an addict who’s finally been freed from those chains, though I know it will be a decision every single day not to go back on it.  But what I’ve told myself and come to believe is “I don’t need it.”

So, despite some major health setbacks, this year has been very blessed and prosperous.  I don’t know what 2012 will hold, though already some major challenges are before me.  Even if I’m about to enter the desert or the fire, I know my God is with me.  He is gracious and merciful, and His promises are true.  This time, I am not afraid to learn faith.  After all, He didn’t let me down this year.

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favor and providence flow
I know I’m filled to be emptied again
The seed I’ve received I will sow

What did 2011 teach you?  Was it a year of harvest, of trials by fire, of desert?  What do you expect for the coming year?