Happy New Years!
2014 brought me so many opportunities that I am truly blessed. 
In 2014 I married the love of my life, and he’s amazing. Everyday since has been great. The wedding was in June, and truly a life changing moment. December 21st, 2013, my book, The Zoastra Affair came out. It was amazing and in 2014 I was nominated for quite a few awards with this novel. I call it Star Trek meets a romance novel. One day I’d love to get back to writing this series. It was so much fun to bend my mind this way.
Now let’s talk the mind numbing bridal brain I had in 2014. I don’t think I focused on much other than the wedding, though I did write. Let’s start with Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush. I love Penny and Jay’s story. I think creating Jay’s mother and Penny’s mom convinced me I do like go inside the mind of a bad person. Penny’s mom is a gold digger and she wants her daughter to be just like her. She’s currently married to a plastic surgeon, but that doesn’t stop her mom from interfering in her daughter’s life. Jay’s mom is way more calculating and cold. It’s always about the bottom line for her, and so what that in the past she had Jay kidnapped just to collect the insurance money. Jay and Penny are both struggling to break away from their parents hold on them. In my wedding brain, I did write a sequel to this book. It’s horrible written so a 2015 resolution is to fix that story up so I can submit it.
Next is Chaperoning Paris. This came out the week of my real life wedding. Talk about stress! This was one of the first things I ever wrote, and I was so thrilled my publisher wanted it. For much of 2014 my work was to make my story where I learned how to write into something people want to read. My earlier books were always rejected because I ‘lacked emotional connection’ in the stories. So when I sat down in like 2012 or so to write this book the first time, my goal was to go deep into emotions. I dug deep and then I dugged even more. My works since this book have not had me questioning every decision that I did with Gigi and Sean. So when the offer to publish came in 2013, I was over the moon. I had no idea in 2014 my wedding would be my goal. I could have done a better job with editing, but the stress of my fast coming nuptials took over. Looking back though it’s totally fitting that my baby came out the week of the wedding. I don’t know if I’d know how to write if it wasn’t for the labor this book took.
I never finished the edits for Mything The Throne, but my editor did send those back to me. It’s my last in the Greeks for now, but ancient myths are just fun. I had an idea for Atalanta, but I’ve not implemented it. So in 2015, this will be editing and sent back to my editor at that publishing house. I’m working on this in 2015.
In a few weeks the second in the series of Collins Brothers book come out. Borrowing the Doctor shows my favorite heroine I ever wrote, Kate Sparrow. She’s so much fun. And like Favorite Coffee, Favorite Crush there are bad guys. These bad guys are out to kill Kate, but then she meets Doctor Daniel Collins. I avoided this like the plague, but I’m accepting the fact I write a form of romantic suspense. It’s heavy on the romance. It’s not Alpha Team Six suspense, but I do love a story where there is a bad guy. It’s why I’m off to Sleuthfest next month and I’m thinking in 2015 to join the Mystery Writers as well. This love of overcoming obstacles created by people probably comes from the past life as a lawyer. I’ll never leave romance as my first love is always the moment where characters fall in love. I get to relive that romance with my husband all the time, and he considers himself a lucky man. When I’m ‘aww’ about love, then his life is happy. So in 2015 I accept my fate that I write a form of romantic suspense. Borrowing the Doctor is next.
I am scheduled to work on the edits of the third book in 2015 as well, Electing Love. This is Gerard’s story. The last book in the series is horribly written and not submitted yet. Did I mention the wedding brain? I have to fix this one too. The fact that it’s done though means it will be worked on.
Then there is the series I’m working on for my agent. The rest of 2015 for writing includes finishing two books in that series. The rough draft of one of next book should have been done in 2014, but will be done January 5th. I’ll announce the manuscript being written at the next FRW meeting, but I’m close. These books definitely have a suspense element and I’m super excited about them. There is one more book in that series that I want to write from scratch and then write two more books.
Talk about alot of writing goals for 2015. I’m putting this out there so I can look back next year to see what I did. I also want to enjoy life with my husband and see what life has in store for us as a team and what happens next.
So welcome 2015. 2014 was amazing. 2015 has alot of goals to meet that I can do. What I cannot do with my own two hands are still out there as wishes for 2015 thought. These include having one of my books make a major list, win big awards, and make some serious money on a contract. For personal wishes for 2015, I’ve already put that prayer up there with the higher power, so he knows.
Also whoever’s reading this, I hope to meet you at some event. Don’t be shy. Even if I’m in a calculating, decision making moment, just give me a second then come over to say hello. I do loving meeting new people and seeing my friends.
Happy New Year! And if you have a resolution on what you expect from this 2015, please feel free to comment. I love reading other people’s hopes and dreams. Together we can imagine the world where we find the way to get the goal. Obstacles are opportunities to achieve success, though they don’t always feel like it.
