2018 Author Goals

Nope, I don’t do New Year’s Resolutions. I’d already committed to losing weight to lower my cholesterol and blood pressure when I saw my doctor in the fall. Since then I’ve been walking one to two miles almost every morning after I watch my son get on the school bus. I’ve also increased my fruit and veggie meals. As for my love affair with pie and brownies, well we still see each other, but it’s a more platonic relationship.

Other ways I’ve been working to improve my health are trying to get more sleep and drinking more water. I’ve even started drinking infused water. You can put pretty much anything in your water. The crystal-clear, snazzy-looking glass of water on the table next to me right now has sliced strawberries, cucumber, pineapple, lemon and kiwi. That’s what the cool people put in their water, right? You can even get recipe books for infused water, but I just toss in whatever looks pretty. Does it make the water taste better? Nope. It still tastes like a tall, refreshing glass of nothing.

Although I haven’t made any typical resolutions, I have been giving more thought to accomplishing those items I’ve always wanted to do, but for some reason just haven’t been able to make them happen. Maybe this will be the year I get a motorcycle license. Perhaps I’ll treat myself to dinner at a nice restaurant once every other month. Most of the goals I do have set, however, are those related to my writing career.

Here’s what I would like to accomplish in 2018:

I know some of you have been waiting for the sequel to Forbidden Kisses. However, book 2 in my Anchored Hearts series will probably not be released until 2019. It’s been gently pushed to the back burner while I work on a stand-alone novel, Remember Love.

Remember Love
He can’t forget her. She doesn’t remember him.
Petty Officer Xavier Mitchell has two loves: His career in the Navy and his wife, Alexis. But as his military career advances, it becomes increasingly difficult to balance his focus on the demands of both.
When an accident causes Alexis Mitchell to lose her memory, her husband rushes to her side, prepared to do whatever it takes to help her remember him. But when it becomes clear that the key to his future depends on what his wife remembers, Xavier finds himself questioning whether the return of her memory is in his best interest. Is he willing to put aside his hopes for the future in order to help Alexis remember her past?

Steamy Connections
In order to make extra cash for surgery on a facial scar, Erin takes a job as a phone sex operator. When she falls for a repeat caller with an irresistibly sexy voice, she must decide if she’s brave enough to take a chance on happiness and meet him face-to-face.

Properly Kissed
Avery is a martial arts instructor who’s fed up with the lack of passion in her stale relationship. As a last-ditch effort to save her relationship, she plans a romantic weekend trip for her boyfriend and herself to reconnect. Her plans fall to pieces when she’s stood up and and stranded, but she soon finds herself doing combat with a sexy Marine.

I plan to continue working on Off Base as well as two short stories I plan to to release in 2019.

As an Indie author I’m learning how important it is to build my Author Platform – my fan base of friends, readers, supporters and writing peers who will cheer me on, provide advice for some of my stories, spread the word when I have a new release and yes, buy, review and recommend my books. I’d like to increase my number of followers by 2,500. (You can help right now, by sharing this post.)

I’ve got a number of blog posts planned for the upcoming year. Some of those topics will be of interest to readers, but I’ll also include some tips and advice for fellow writers. I’m also planning some posts which will hopefully be of interest to the military community – active duty, veterans and military spouses.

As for my offline activities, I plan to attend two author conferences, Create Something Magical which is hosted by the Liberty States Fiction Writers and the Women Who Write conference.
I’d also like to attend four book-signing events in 2018. I’m already registered for two in Pennsylvania – Unmask the Romance on 5/12/18 and Salute With Love on 8/18/18. I’m planning an event in New Jersey with the members of my MeetUp group and I’m on the lookout for something in the DMV/North Carolina area so I’ll have the opportunity to visit with friends and family while I’m there.

My current book, Forbidden Kisses is on the shelf at my local library. I’d like to get it into more libraries, but I’ll focus on that task closer to the end of the year, when I have other books available.

I’m the organizer of a MeetUp group called New Jersey Indie Publishing. We get together to discuss ideas for promoting and marketing our books. I’d like to plan some beneficial and effective meetings and possibly even a fun outing.

As you may know, I love promoting other authors. That’s just who I am. I don’t worry that helping the career of other authors will hinder my own. There are plenty of readers to go around. I had an Indie Author Event and a Holiday Blitz which hopefully introduced you to some new authors. I’d like to do a couple more events in the upcoming year.