Hello 2017

2016 was a good year for me. I released two books, both of which doubled the goals I set for them. My real world job is going great and I'm dating an amazing person. As great as 2016 was, I'm hoping 2017 will be even better.

I have a lot of goals for 2017 so it's already shaping up to be a very busy year. I'm hoping to publish three books and a novella. Just typing those words has me stressing out about being behind.

To give you an idea of what I'm facing, here's a glimpse at what's coming this year.

Pathfinder's Way will be out on audio book on Jan. 18. I'm also planning a print version of this book sometime in January.

Midnight's Emissary, the sequel to Shadow's Messenger, will be published on Feb. 7 in both print and ebook.

Dragon-Ridden 2 is already written and I'm working on the second draft. A novella set in the Dragon world featuring the character of Jost has been plotted out. Both of these are looking at a summer release.

I'm also intending to write and release the sequel to Pathfinder's Way in late fall. This is the item I'm really worried about. The story for Shea tends to be a lot more complicated than the other worlds. Pathfinder's took me three years to write. Trying to cut that time down to six months for a first draft is giving me nightmares. Granted, I took an extended break in the middle of writing the first book, because I got so stuck that I couldn't figure out how to end it. Hopefully, I've learned from that experience and can stay on task this time.

I also need to move my website and blog to a different platform as the functionality in my current platform is not as robust as I would wish. I meant to get it done before the first but it just wasn't happening with all the other things on my plate.

I'm also contemplating attending a writer's conference in May. I'm waiting to hear back about my travel schedule for my real world job before I register.

That's it. That's my road map to making 2017 even better than 2016. It's going to be busy and stressful, but I think worth it at the end.

Welcome To The New Year

I can't believe it, but 2016 is here and has been for ten days.Where did the last year go? Somehow it sped past and was gone before I realized it. To be fair, last year was incredibly busy on both the personal and writing front.  I had a lot to be grateful for last year. The biggest accomplishment on the writing side is that I finished not one, but two books (I finished the second book's first draft on Christmas Day).

Right now I'm in the process of putting final touches to the first before sending to a copy editor. I forgot how much extra work is involved when readying a book for publishing. After sending to the editor, I'll need to make any changes they suggest, then either design a cover or reach out to a graphic designer to do that part for me.

The part I hate the most, though, is drafting the blurb for the book. It's one of those jobs I would love to farm out to someone because I'm never quite satisfied with what I create. What it is about coming up with two to three paragraphs that creates such frustration, I don't know. Especially when I just got finished writing a full length novel. It's the part I dread the most. At this point I've rewritten this blurb at least four times. I'm still not happy with it :-|.

Sigh, time to stop whining and take another crack at it. Hopefully, I'll finish that part today.