I tend to do the looking at where I’ve been and where I’d like to go twice a year, around my birthday and New Year’s Day. Looking back on 06, it’s kind of amazing how much has happened. I’ve achieved several big goals: I’ve gained an agent, the fabulous Deidre Knight. I sold three books to St. Martin’s. I overshot my goal of ending 06 with 13 total sales; I’ve made 14 and I have some things outstanding that should lead to sales in 07. Personal (non-business) goals have been met, too, but I won’t bore you with those.

The number of releases in 06 is kind of boggling. The Gripping Beast (Samhain) in ebook and print. Night Music in ebook and print (Beginnings: A Samhain Anthology). Wolf in Cheap Clothing (EC). Wolf In Shining Armor (EC), Autumn Animalia series. Yule Be Mine (Cerridwen). Ellora’s Cavemen Legendary Tails II in Spanish (EC). I also wrote and self-published two free reads here on my site. That’s a total of 10 releases in 12 months.

07 is shaping up to be a bit less busy but still impressive. Catalyst in print (Cerridwen). Miss Lonely Hearts in ebook and print (Samhain). The Autumn Animalia volumes are planned for print release around Sept. (EC). Only Human in the Torrid Tarot series (EC). And *shiver* my St. Martin’s debut book, Wild Wild West in August. I hope to have 1 or 2 more EC releases, but that’s where things stand right now.

I’ll be updating my business plan and setting my goals for the coming year in writing. Already planned: two uncontracted books in different genres that I’m pretty excited about. I also want to plan and take a real vacation next year. We haven’t had a real vacation in almost 6 years. It’s time.

I lost some ground this year due to unforeseen circumstances. I got very sick in September, and Nov. and Dec. were riddled with interruptions in the form of severe weather and power outages on top of the holidays. I had planned slush in my schedule to allow room for things going wrong, but I didn’t plan nearly enough to accomodate all the time I lost. It’s some comfort that nobody could have foreseen or planned for the weather events that hit this area during the last two months, but the end result is that I need to hit 07 running.

So as the ball drops on New Year’s Eve, I will be tying the laces on my running shoes, warming up, and settling into my stride. However you begin the New Year, I hope you start off in the direction you want to go.