Have things slowed down at your house? They have here . . .
a bit. In this lull, my thoughts turn backward then forward. Backward to
reflect on 2014, a year that had its low points and high points. I’d rather not
have a repeat of the health issues that dominated the first quarter. The high
points were so much better. Many small and one huge—our son married a terrific
woman and we gained a wonderful new daughter.
I have so much to be thankful for.
Family, of course.
Living close to our daughter and her husband, seeing them on a more casual
basis than a planned two-hour trip. Playing with the grandkiddies. Visiting son
and his wife in Arizona. Seeing extended family at son’s wedding. Most of all
an indulgent husband who gives me the space I need to write. Who “forces” me to
exercise. And who isn’t buying snack foods anymore because he knows I can’t
resist.
Friends near and
far. Keeping in touch through Facebook and telephone. Meeting for the
occasional lunch or dinner. Getting together with friends to celebrate New Year’s
Eve as we’ve done for the past fifteen years.
Readers. I am very
grateful that people enjoy my books. Writing is a solitary endeavor. We may
share our work-in-progress for critique or brainstorming, but in the end we
write alone. How wonderful it is to see that work appreciated by others.
What lies ahead for 2015? Foremost, my son and his wife are
expecting their first child in the late spring. I’m over the moon about this.
Hubs jokes (as he did when we were expecting our first grandchild) that he’ll
have to hide my credit cards. When our children were little (and our money a
lot tighter), I was very thrifty. No brand-name clothes. In fact, I sewed their
clothes. Now it’s so much fun to buy those cute little outfits. Isn’t that a
grandmother’s prerogative?
On the writing front, I plan to release three books this
year. The third book in the Outer Rim series. Remember Rissa the tavern owner?
She finally gets her own story. Human trafficking, kidnapping, and of course a
hunky guy. I’m still agonizing over a title. Then, there will be a second Alex
O’Hara mystery. She’s up to her eyeballs in trouble again.
Last year at this time, I planned to expand the short story
I wrote for the Roses of Prose blog, “Christmas in Space” and release it as a
novella this year. Didn’t happen, obviously. It will in time for Christmas
2015.
Goals give us something to aim for, to focus on. By the end
of a year, I don’t always complete the goals I planned. But if I didn’t have
some goals I wouldn’t accomplish anything. It is so easy to let time slip away.
So I’ll make a list of what I want to achieve. I’ll break each goal down into
manageable pieces then check off each item as I finish.
How about you? What lies ahead?
