Happy New Years! #OpenBook Blog Hop

December 29, 2025

Happy New Year! Set a goal for yourself and let’s track it through 2026 to see how it’s going.

I’ve said this before – I don’t do New Year’s resolutions.

But I actually have a resolution that has nothing to do with the New Year. I made it when the anthology I took part in was published. (Defending the Moonlight.) I had interrupted writing the second book in the Edwards Investigations series to work on my entry for for the anthology. I really want to get that book completed. And I want to get it done before the start of the book-selling season.

That gives me six months. I’m currently at just over 22,000 words. Getting the first draft done shouldn’t be a problem, God willing and the creeks don’t rise. (We’ve had over 2 feet of snow, freezing rain that accumulated over 1/4 inch of ice, and about 1/2 inch of rain in the past week and a half. My sump pump is hard at work. Another storm is predicted to descend on us on Monday.) With this weather, I should have plenty of time to write.

The time crunch is people to critique.

And edit. And format for publication. And for the various companies to push publish. I can’t control those. Not as much as I’d like.

But I can control figuring out the story. I keep finding bodies to add to the carnage, new parts of the puzzle, and now the pieces are starting to make sense. I’ve already written a chapter that I thought was the first one and now realize belongs closer to the end. I’m not adding those several thousand words in my word count.

So, that’s my goal. Get this book written and as far along in the process as I can get. Yes, my personal goal is to get the book into print by the middle of June, but I won’t count it against myself if that doesn’t happen. I will be unhappy if I don’t have the first draft finished. I’ll keep you updated.

What about the other authors who join the hop this week? What goals do they have? Find out by following the links below.

As always, please stay safe until the next time.

December 29, 2025

Happy New Year! Set a goal for yourself and let’s track it through 2026 to see how it’s going.

You are invited to the Inlinkz link party!

Click here to enter

 


Word Of the Year Insecure Writer’s Support Group #IWSG

The awesome co-hosts for the January 4 posting of the IWSG are Jemima Pett, Debs Carey, Kim Lajevardi, Sarah Foster, Natalie Aguirre, and T. Powell Coltrin!

January 4 question – Do you have a word of the year? Is there one word that sums up what you need to work on or change in the coming year? For instance, in 2021 my word of the year was Finish. I was determined to finish my first draft by the end of the year. In 2022, my word of the year was Ease. I want to get my process, systems, finances, and routines where life flows with ease and less chaos. What is your word for 2023? 

I’ve seen this same idea in a couple of places this year, and I have to wonder if it’s a sneaky way to get people to commit to a New Year’s Resolution. Which I don’t do.

But I can commit to a word.

Breathe.

Last year was filled with endings and beginnings. In the turmoil, I often forgot to just breathe. I needed to let things happen and then let go, instead of holding on to them and forcing them down a path they didn’t want to go. That was last year.

This year, I’m going to go with the flow. Enjoy the moments life offers me. Breathe in. Breathe out.

Breathe.

What’s your word?