Setting realistic goals has never been one of my strong suits… mostly because I’ve been able to figure out a way to make it work, or have to take a step back when I fail and determine if it was actually achievable in the first place. (The second being a skill I am also developing). This comes from someone who, from 2014-2023 participated in National Novel Writing Month, writing a 50k+ book in November and “won.” Through school, then college, even when November was 6 months from getting married… I succeeded, but not always at a great price.
A 2024 life recap would be learning how to be more intentional with my time. Finding ways to create time and presence for friendships and my now husband, working on hobbies, and exploring new recipes to name a few. It’s also looked like trying to stop using YouTube Shorts (deleting the app only goes so far when it’s reachable from safari…), finding recipe successes (like this chai concentrate) and recipe flops, and spending intentional time to cuddle with our pup even if that means I can’t work on other things.
That’s the high level recap, but as I’m working to put together a more detailed idea of what (God-willing) I’d like to try and accomplish next year for my writing, I wanted to share with you all what you can expect from this space, and from me, going into the new year!
I’ve never really liked setting New Year Resolutions. I’ve tried a New Years Word, but that didn’t quite work for me either. So, in terms I’ve learned from the writing world, I’m working on putting together a Book Plan for the next year. What are some things that’s going to include?
I got married this year! I haven’t changed my name here yet since my books are also published under my maiden name, but soon I’ll be updating my name here because…
I’m planning to rerelease my current published books under my new name! Is that a lot of work? Yes. Do I have a date for when I want to complete that? No. That’s a work in progress, mostly because…
I want to time the rerelease of both my books, Stars Above and Imprinted, with Book 2 in the Imprinted Series! I’ve worked through draft 2, and am working on draft 3 as this post is released. “They” say planning a book launch 6 months ahead of release is a good plan, so hopefully starting now means I’ll have the accountability to pull everything together for 2025. More updates on that to come as I finalize the title, blurb, and cover design.
If you’ve purchased one of my books previously, I’m happy to work with you to make sure you’re able to get an updated copy at no cost! I’m still researching Amazon specifically for how I can make that happen, but I’ll do it manually if needed.
And, if you’re interested in being a beta reading Imprinted Book 2, send me a message! I’d love to connect and get you a copy, book 1 and/or 2.
And finally, as I’m relaunching my books under my new name, I’m going to be working on a rebrand. I’m not entirely sure what that’s going to entail yet, and this may be the part that gets put off so I can focus on the rest of it, but I’ll be sure to let you all know before everything changes.
Exciting stuff! And overwhelming, as I’m not a huge fan of change and a large to-do list I can’t check off daily (and need the flexibility and grace to know if I can’t do everything that’s okay too) is a bit daunting. So let me tell you what’s staying the same.
You’ll still be receiving thought pieces to your inbox, Substack and/or email, talking about my walk with faith, writing updates, and what’s generally happening in life. The occasional Notes, from me and liked/restacked from others, will still appear on your feed. And if you ever reach out or leave a comment on my posts, I will always do my best to reply to you.
New Years feels a bit like birthdays to me. It always felt hyped up, like I was going to change, the world was going to change, and it was going to be something totally new. I’m not sure about you, but I always felt like the same person, on just another day. Not that I didn’t enjoy the celebrations, the day itself just wasn’t life altering. Intentional change takes day-after-day steps, even if it’s one, even if it’s recognizing the best step that day is rest. So thank you all for being here with me on this journey, and I’m excited to continue journeying on.
My newest book, Imprinted, is available now. Imprinted is a gritty, urban fantasy adventure and book 1 in the Imprinted series. My YA novella, Stars Above, is now permanently available for $0.99 as an ebook. My website is currently undergoing a redesign, but will be back up soon. Thank you!
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.