2014: Looking Ahead

RESOLUTIONS, GOALS, AND EVENTS

I’ve never been one for making “resolutions” because they’re too vague. I’ve always felt “goals” offered a better chance at success. What’s the difference? A goal is something you have control over. “I want to get published in 2014” is a resolution. “I’m going to write and submit an article every month” is a goal. You may or may not get published, but you’re doing something tangible toward that intention.

It worked for me in 2013. I made a plan and stuck with it. It can work for you, too.

This year is a little different. I have my three-book contract, so I’m not working on “goals” for publishing so much as I’m following a production schedule that was made up for me by my editor, while weaving my own writing quotas into and around it. While in the past, my goals have all concentrated on writing and submitting to different markets, this year I’ve changed focus. And I have included some of those vague resolutions into my plans for the coming year.

Resolutions:

I’m going to work on finding balance. Since writing is now mandatory and no longer a luxury, other aspects of my life have taken a hit. For 2014 I need to restructure my time and priorities so that my family and friends don’t feel shut out. I’m still vice president of Pennwriters and, if I’m re-elected this spring, will have two more years in that position. I need to find a way to write without completely crawling into a cave for weeks on end, so that I can continue to serve my fellow writers in whatever manner possible. I mustn’t become a hermit.

Having said that, note to friends and family: if I don’t reply to your emails or phone calls immediately, I’m not ignoring you. Well maybe I am, but with good reason. And I will get back to you as soon as I meet my word quota for the day. If you DON’T hear back from me within 24 hours, nudge me. My brain can be like a sieve when I’m juggling three books in three different stages of production.

Goals:

Average two pages per day on whatever manuscript I’m drafting at the moment. Some days that may turn out to be only one page. Others, it may be five or six. Book #2 (Lost Legacy) must be turned in the first of February. I intend to have a completed first draft of book #3 by the end of June. Note to friends and family: I may have to renege on my above resolution in June if I fail at my page count goal during January through May.

Events:

Further cutting into my page count goal are the following events. But I so hope to see my friends and family (and a lot of my readers!) at them.

March 22 - Publication Launch Party for Circle of Influence at Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont PA (near Pittsburgh) at 2PM.

March 25 – Official release day for Circle of Influence

April 28 – Book Club appearance at the Burgettstown Library, time TBA

May 2-4 – Malice Domestic Mystery Convention, Bethesda, MD

May 5 - Festival of Mystery, Oakmont PA

May 16-18 – Pennwriters Conference, Lancaster PA

November 13-16 – Bouchercon, Long Beach CA

I also have a blog tour scheduled for the spring. Stay tuned for those dates.


Wishing you all a very happy and prosperous 2014 complete will all your goals and dreams fulfilled. 

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