2013: Looking Back

Forgive me, Garrett Morris, for borrowing (and corrupting) your famous SNL tagline, but 2013 has been bery, bery good to me.

As I look back at my first blog post for the year, my goals for 2013 included pitching some story ideas to Pennsylvania Magazine, querying Circle of Influence, finishing the second Zoe Chambers book, finishing the short story I was working on, and making my dream of traveling out west a reality.

How did it turn out?

I only pitched one story to Pennsylvania Magazine, but it was accepted. My article “Restoring the Past, One Buggy at a Time” appeared in the September/October issue.

As for querying Circle of Influence… If you’ve followed this blog (or if you’ve kept tabs on me on Facebook or Twitter) you already know I signed a three-book contract with Henery Press in early September. Circle of Influence, the first in the Zoe Chambers mystery series, is set for release in late March 2014! (Available for pre-order now!) The second in the series (recently renamed Lost Legacy) is set for a September 2014 release. And yes, it’s “finished” although it’s still undergoing the polishing phase of the writing process.

The short story, “Sweet Deadly Lies” was accepted and is part of the Lucky Charms: 12 Crime Tales anthology put out by my local Sisters in Crime and available now.

My dream trip out west was all I’d hoped it to be and more. The story with photos can be found in this blog’s archives (June 2013). 

I met—first time face-to-face—several of my very best friends. Oddly, it didn’t seem at all like we were meeting for the first time. Rather it felt like a reunion and a joyous one at that. I fell in love with Colorado and New Mexico. Hubby got to fly fish in the San Juan River.  

I got to ride a horse through the Garden of the Gods. I can’t wait to go back!


So I accomplished all of my goals. Amazing. Proof positive that you should never EVER give up.

On top of that, a few other wonderful things happened to me along the way. In May, I won the Pennwriters Meritorious Service Award and sobbed openly in front of the membership at the presentation during the Pennwriters Conference.


Of lesser importance, but still fun, I bought a new car. Well, a USED car, but spotless and low-mileage, so it’s hard to think of it as "used." I love my Subaru!


In August I had major surgery for a tumor. Even that turned out well. The tumor was benign, and I recovered in record time.

2014 has its work cut out for it if it plans to top its predecessor. And I have my work cut out for me in making a new set of goals.

To be continued…



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