A Look at 2013 & Plotting for 2014

This time of year, many of us think about what we’ve achieved, what fell by the wayside and what we hope to get done in the New Year.

Looking back, I can confirm that I’ve made some significant progress. Certainly more than I thought I had. Lynda Young’s Motivational Monday post over at the IWSG Facebook Page got me thinking.

Since January 2013, in terms of writing and publishing, I believe the most significant thing I've accomplished bookwise learning how to format eBooks. I thought it was beyond me, but I'm testament to the fact that anything we think we can do and put our minds to, we'll get done. 

January 2013

Retribution is a novel that’s close to my heart cuz the main characters are good people who love each other, but have complications like unruly kids and a vicious ex determined to keep them apart.

March 2013

Christine’s Odyssey was the first novel I wrote, but not the first one published. So many people have helped to shape this novel. The girl in this is one of the most vibrant characters I’ve written to date. I say that because people kept asking me what I’d done with her years after they came in contact with the original story.

Saving Sam is the stand-alone sequel to Christine’s Odyssey. My husband has asked why I tortured this child so. The only justification I have is that his story came to me that way. We never know how strong we can be until we are challenged to stand up for ourselves and that’s the basis of Sam’s novel.

October 2013

I got the rights back for Contraband, which is the second novel I wrote. I did some tweaking and since it’s a good novel, I don’t see any benefits to stashing it on my hard drive.

I wanted to get Chasing Anya out this year, but that won’t happen. It’s formatted, but the final edit hasn’t been completed. Sounds weird, right? But there’s a method to my madness. After I make the last set of changes to the manuscript, I’ll put it on kindle and read it again. I’ll catch any formatting and editing issues that way. Anya will see the world early in January. 

Meantime, I wrote a prequel to that story to drum up some interest. It’s out now and includes the first three chapters of Chasing Anya. The main character is not your run-of-the-mill woman, so I believe her story makes some interesting reading.

November 2013

That cover is posted below, along with the book blurb. I also intended to talk about the things I haven’t finished this year, but that’s for another post. Definitely will talk about a schedule for 2014 and how that'll work.

P.S. Just want to drop a word of thanks to all of you. Writers buy a LOT of books, which is why I always ask for help with my covers. Your input makes my covers interesting to look at and I’m grateful. So, what have you done this year? Any regrets about not getting some stuff done? Made a schedule yet for 2014?

Make sure you hop over to the IWSG site and enter the contest. There are some fabulous prizes up for grabs!

                One man. One woman. One wish.

After five years in a dead-end relationship, the last thing Anya needs is a man to upset her ordered existence. A quiet Christmas season with family is all that’s on her agenda, until her job puts her in contact with Christophe Mondesir, who refuses to play by her rules.

Caught between an interfering ex, a secret that gives her anxious moments, and a man with the power to make her forget promises to herself, Anya faces more complications than she can handle.

If her ex would stay gone, she might take a chance on romance with the man determined to spin her world off its axis. But the obstacles in her way leave Anya stuck in a groove with work as the main diversion from her problems.

Only Christophe's resolve to win her love makes the difference between Anya staying in a rut and pursuing her dreams.

This getting-to-know you novelette is priced at $0.99. Click through to Amazon.