5 Things I'm Looking Forward to in 2019

Here we go! It's the first Friday of the New Year--and all of 2019 stretching before us with infinite possibility.

1 - Staying healthy. 2018 was a good year for me as far as eating right and getting exercise AND taking time off. I want to continue that momentum and even build on it. Let's face it, writing is a sedentary profession. Nobody wants to get sick, but when you are the money-making machine in your family, the possibility of being ill or injured is a lot more frightening. I'm intent on making healthy choices all year long so that I can be my creative (and productive) best in 2019. That means come Monday ALL the leftovers go into the trash. ;-)

The fact that I am fighting a sore throat this morning is IRRELEVANT to the conversation.


2 -  New projects. And old projects. Unsurprisingly, I didn't manage to accomplish everything I hoped and planned for 2018. I still have to deliver Blind Side and Haunted Heart: Spring, which I'm aiming to do this year. We also have the fourth Art of Murder Book coming -- that's The Monument Men Murders. And we have the Footsteps in the Dark anthology (I've settled on "Stranger in the House" for my novella) AND the new Bedknobs and Broomsticks trilogy starts with Mainly by Moonlight. And I'm sure there will be other surprises (for me AND you) along the way.


3 - Learning new things. Last year was the year I stopped fighting the new reality of publishing--namely that there are now two largely distinct publishing worlds. The world of the Kindle Unlimited author and the world of the rest of us (which encompasses traditional publishing as well as wide indie publishing). It's amazing how freeing it is to stop fighting what cannot be changed and to focus on finding your own path. I think letting go of my desire to hang on to The Way Things Used to Be is why last year was both more productive (and, frankly, more happy) for me. My decision to begin a Patreon was part of that. So was my decision to take my audio and print wide. Yes, staying wide is a hell of a lot more work--but it also offers a hell of a lot more in the way of long-term benefits. The artistic life is an insecure one. Keeping your eyes--and mind--open means you're keeping your options open.

4 - Focusing on the Positive. There is plenty to be worried about in the world today, but there is also plenty to be encouraged by and grateful for. Worrying changes nothing. Action is what makes change, so worrying without taking action is pointless--but so is giving into worry and despair once you HAVE taken action. Which is to say, you can only do what you can do--and once you have done those things that are within your power to do, you have to let go and trust.  Making yourself crazy with fear and anxiety solves nothing. I'm going to consciously try to produce the positive action antibody so I can combat the fear and anxiety antigen carried by so many now. ;-D

5 - Getting organized. Jeez Louise. WHY CAN'T I GET MY OFFICE CLEANED UP? I always get to a certain point--the point where I am just about to begin filing--when all hell breaks loose again and my office ends up looking like it was ransacked. I need another filing cabinet, so why the hell do I balk at spending money on that but think $200. worth of doggie toys and treats is a sound investment? (I'm exaggerating and it was Christmas for Marlow the Mutt too. Still.) Nothing gets me derailed faster than not being able to find my notes or a reference book or stamps or that Sephora gift card when I need it. THIS YEAR I GET ORGANIZED AGAIN. FOR REAL. FOR GOOD.

What do you have planned for 2019? Is this the year IT happens? What is your IT?