I took a bit of a break from updates over the holidays, but I am back. Back again. Guess who’s back… I’ll stop.

It’s feeling a lot like spring here, which is a lie. The worst of winter has yet to come. But I’m falling for the illusion mostly. Daffodils are breaking ground, and it’s been warm and muddy…

Speed Update

A stomach flu also delayed my sharing of updates in January, but here’s the current goings-on.

StoryStatus for the hungry reader
Clanblades: Book 2Sharing some early chapters with beta readers as we speak…
Next month will be the cover reveal!
Mysterious Unnamed NovellaCurrently editing at a very slow pace… There was a snippet from the cover a few blog posts back. Really excited to share this one.
Oath of Duty Paperbacks / HardbacksI’m having trouble working out some kinks with the designers, but I hope to have these available for purchase soon.

Launch Party

I had a great time at this launch party for Christie Meierz’s Rembrandt’s Station. There’s some fun discussion at the beginning and then each author had a bit to read from books or talk about their work.

This is quite long, so if you want to tune in to my part beyond the round robin at the beginning, it’s around 1:33. Yes 1 hour and 33 minutes. 😉 I talk about the current science and technology that inspired the Audacity Saga, and I read a short scene of Kael’s from The Empress Capsule. You can also follow my youtube channel for audio samples and book trailers when I release a new book.

New Year, New Goals (A Little Late)

My 2022 goals were notably less S.M.A.R.T. than I’ve made my goals in the past. I’m kind of an achievement junky. I usually love goals and tracking and all that jazz that comes with the new year.

Maybe it was the pandemic or just getting older, but in 2022, I mostly just focused on not being so hard on myself all the time. I can’t say I’m perfect at it, but I’ve improved in some areas. I’m learning to rest sometimes. For anyone that struggles with being hard on yourself, especially if it’s becoming maybe a bit of a problem, I recommend Dr. Kristen Neff’s work on self compassion.

So for 2023?

A screenshot of a tweet that suggests FUN goals instead of SMART goals, FUN = Flexible, Uplifting, and Numberless

I don’t really have super specific goals for this year either. I have switched to making quarterly goals, too, which means I can always change approach every few months if it’s not working, instead of feeling tied objectives I cooked up in a New Years delusional haze for the rest of the year.

For Q1, I mostly just want to write more words and share them with more of you, my readers. Do I really need to get more specific than that? Maybe, maybe not.

Super specific measurable goals can be great if you’re just getting started or as part of a big team, but I’ve learned they can also lead to frustration and disappointment for a solopreneur. This seems to have been the case most of the time for me, especially as someone who has time blindness. (This means I struggle to make realistic goals because time is more elastic for me than some other people.)

And the truth is, I’m a really hard worker. I don’t need measurements of achievement to make progress. I just need to point myself in the right direction.

So that’s what I’m doing!

I have my weekly schedule where I work hour by hour. I have my goals and dreams and my five-year dream destination. I’m just going to keep on marching…

Especially because in this season of life right now, I have a lot of dynamic family obligations that can’t be predicted and are sometimes bone-numbingly exhausting and depleting. These are mostly outside of my control and random.

So, hard, very specific goals can lead to spiraling frustration and doom-talking, and really, if I’ve learned anything in 2022, it’s that all that pressure is a waste of time.

Hustle culture is exhausting, and as much as I’ve loved it at times, I’m growing to learn it’s pretty toxic.

Careers aren’t sprints, they’re marathons.

One of my friends said, “You know what I’m doing for new years? I’m going to sleep. 2023 ain’t the boss of me.” And I’m totally feeling that. January is just another month of doing my best and pursuing the same goals I been pursuing.*

Which is having a blast writing my stories and sharing them with you.

*And so is February, when a stomach flu delays me sharing this with you until then. Case in point.

Are you finding rest in this hibernating part of the year? Or is this a great time to get stuff done? Let me know!


Thank you as always for being a reader and a fan. If you’d like to support my ongoing writing efforts, you can buy me a coffee on Kofi. Or maybe it should be a decaf tea for added chill. 🙂

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