The last day of the year is a good time to stop for a few moments and take stock of where I am and where I want to go.

It’s been a pretty good year all things considered. I haven’t done as much new writing as I would like, but it’s been a great year for getting a bunch of backlist titles formatted for ebook publication and put out.  Over the last year I’ve put up a short story (Unmasking), a novella (Guardian of the Grimoire) and two novels, one originally published by Five Star/Gale Group (A Gift for Murder), and one an original work published for the very first time (The Wizard’s Shield).

I’m learning how to use Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest in new ways as well.

On the personal front, the year started off with some struggle for me as my mother passed away late in 2012. It’s taken a while to come to terms with that. Didn’t have a lot of time to brood on it though, since the entire family gathered at our place for Christmas, 2012. We had a wonderful time, and that helped me snap out of the funk of grief. In May, my daughter gave birth to her second son, Cassian James Gerdon. Fortunately he came with a bit less drama than his older brother and was born at 37 weeks, a healthy 7+ pounder. In July my older daughter was married (for the second time) in a lovely low-key ceremony.

I’m always trying to lose weight and this year I actually had some success. I took off five pounds over the year, though I fear the holidays  have put one (or maybe even two) back on me. I’ve been watching what I eat, but mostly the weight loss has come from increasing my walking/exercise time.  I need to do even more of that this year to get rid of those other ten pounds I need to lose.

I do a limited number of events in a year. This year it included Book ’em North Carolina in Lumberton in February, then Stellarcon here in Greensboro in March, and the big one for me, Killer Nashville in August. That was a fantastic conference and I came away from it inspired and energized.

I haven’t had as much reading time this year as I’d like, but have found a few good books, thanks in part to my sister, Barbara. The best book of the year for me was her recommendation, Paulo Coehlo’s The Alchemist.  It’s both enchanting and profound.

Looking ahead

I’m dialing back on the web design/book design business this year to allow more time to devote to writing. I’m not going to quit entirely, but I won’t be taking on as many new clients as I have in the past. I have several things I want to get done. The first priority is finishing Wired for Murder, the sequel to A Gift for Murder.  I have another mostly finished paranormal mystery featuring a witch and a gargoyle. The first draft is pretty much done, but it needs some rewriting and a lot of polishing.  And I have so many other ideas rolling around in my head that I really want to work on.