A Little Update

I’ve been taking a much-deserved (in my own mind!) break over the Christmas season and thought I would post a few thoughts here regarding the end of the year and the one to come.

I love Christmas and am always sad when the season comes to a close. Yet in the end of the season, there is new hope for the coming year. I’m not one to celebrate the new year much, as to me it’s just a continuation of the cycle of life. It’s also a reminder that I’m now a year older! Even though there is still a lot of winter to endure (anyone acquainted with me knows that I despise winter), the hope of spring shines in my mind as the days are finally getting long. It’s difficult to say what the coming year will bring, and while I suspect that much of what is happening in the world will not get a lot better, the only thing I can control is myself, my charity for others, and the things I try to accomplish. I will not bore you with my philosophical, religious, or political views, for it’s not my purpose to force my opinions on anyone who reads this. I will, however, say that I hope we all strive to become a little better, to have a little more compassion for those around us, and to treat others as we would have them treat us.

From the standpoint of where I am professionally (I suspect most of those reading this are most interested in that aspect), I am continuing my journey to bring a smile to people’s faces. Leaving my former place of employment and embarking upon this phase of my life was the best decision I ever made. I am thankful that I am now doing something I love, and while not everything is perfect, I believe I am a better person, and am certainly a happier person because of it. Life is too short to spend it doing something that does not satisfy you at the very least. I give a hearty thanks to all of you who appreciate the material I create and support me through your kind thoughts, actions, and, of course, read my ramblings. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you!

Getting into the details, I have a few notable plans this year that I hope will catch your interest. My focus will still be, to a large extent, on Pride and Prejudice variations. I doubt I will ever leave this genre, no matter how involved in other works I get. They’re not only fun, but I find writing and planning them out a blast, and in some strange way, almost relaxing. In the coming year, I have at least two variations, one that is already released in eBook and physical form, and one yet to hit stores that will also be released in audiobook format. They are both coming in the spring, so look for them at that time. I have also recently sold an additional four works from my current library to the audiobook company, and while there is no word when these will be published, I hope that at least a couple will be forthcoming this year. These four titles are among my most successful stories to date.

I have often spoken about how I would like to branch out into other genres, and while I have done some work on that front, I have not gotten close to anything that I could start writing, let alone release. This year I am hoping to change that. I have a contemporary story that has been rattling around in my brain for some time, and I hope that I will have it outlined and at least a significant portion written in the next year. Besides that, I have a cozy mystery series in mind that I have just started to flesh out. While that will probably be further into the future, I hope to have the idea fully built and at least a couple of outlines completed by the end of 2024.

Finally, I always have fantasy lurking in the back of my mind. I have several ideas that are clamoring for my attention. The difficulty with fantasy, of course, is the work involved with creating one. As I have said before, fantasy is different in that the writer needs to not only build the story but also build the world, the people, customs, history, geography, and everything else. As I have focused on Pride and Prejudice for both love of the genre and financial reasons, I have not had nearly as much time to devote to building all the details that go into a successful fantasy world. Now that I have a little breathing space, I hope to complete significant work on one or two of the projects I have in mind, though I will stress that any fantasy books are likely at least two years away from hitting the market, and possibly longer. I even have a potential idea for a fantasy-influenced children’s series! One final note is about the fantasy series I wrote with Lelia Eye, Earth and Sky. Life has been crazy for Lelia the past couple of years, which is why there have been no updates. The third book is over half written. In the coming year, I hope we can get back to it and complete it. More on that when there are details to report.

When I get some progress on these projects, I will release more information on posts, extra details on my front page, and perhaps even pages on this site dedicated to these coming projects. I hope those of you reading this post will join me on those journeys. It may seem like I am intent on becoming a jack of all trades, and that may be correct. In all honesty, however, I am simply taking the path to which my ideas have led me.

I hope you all enjoyed this glimpse into what the future holds for me. Wishing everyone all the best in the coming New Year!