New Year, what to expect from me?

I'm a firm believer in going for what I want.

I want to write books, but there are 101 excuses why I don't write as much as I could. Mainly legitimate reasons like life. Laundry and kids and cooking (sometimes) and health issues (most times). Then, there's the marketing and promotional aspect of writing which is a full-time job in itself. And editing... if I'm fortunate enough to have a book in the publishing pipeline.

I take "advantage" of the new year to self-assess. I set goals (more like long-term resolutions) and feel all kinds energized to accomplish those goals. I want to write books. I want to publish books. It seems so simple and yet it's very complicated. In the same way that everything these days feels simultaneously simple and complicated.

My health. I've been handed a different deal than most. Not better or worse. Just different. I detest complaining about it, but my health issues are a quasi-reason—excuse—for my non-writing. Because I feel so horribly sick about 99% of the time, it takes me longer than it should—yes, I said should—to do anything. And when I have that 1% moment where I don't feel like absolute crap, I want to have fun—I include writing in that column—but I'm a spouse and a parent so I have responsibilities. Thankfully, writing is also a kind of therapy for me so sometimes it helps during the 99% moments. Don't worry, I'm not going to go into a huge tirade on what's wrong with me... Suffice it to say, I have chronic health issues that interfere with my life. It's a pain (pun intended), but everybody has something and this just happens to be mine. After seven years, I can be a little philosophical about it.

I feel pulled in a dozen different directions. And, when I feel this way, I need a reminder to slow down. The Christmas break was great, but this week the kids return to "school" (or the closest thing we've got during COVID), and life can revert back to normal... whatever normal entails. I've scheduled most of January's social media posts and cleaned the heck out of my house so I can dedicate a chunk of time to—priority one—A Fairy's Quest edits and priority two—Duet at Midnight submission prepping.

Life is a juggling act. Sometimes, I need to step back in order to see the full picture. But, no matter the obstacles, I make a plan to achieve my goals. And I don't stop until I'm satisfied. It's my pure grit and determination that keeps me going. So, look out, New Year, 'cause here I come!