Happy new year, readers! Last year around this time, I published a 2018 New Years resolutions video, which I won’t bother to link to here since I fell marvelously short of my goals. I did end up learning a lot more than I realized I needed to learn. But learning and getting things done aren’t always the same thing.

Results count so, with that in mind (as well as following a bruising year of not getting done what I anticipated) I’m happy to share a new set of goals for the coming 2019, starting with some good news.

1. Green Bay Outsiders will be published.

First and foremost will be the publication of my upcoming novel, Green Bay Outsiders. As long as a year ago, I kept suggesting that the book would be published throughout 2018. A combination of a slower-than-expected editing process and learning some new technologies, kept that from happening.

The good news is that my personal edits are completed, and the manuscript is now with my editor, who should get me her feedback by mid-January.

I still have some emails to write and other promotional items to build out, and I am planning a giveaway when I launch the novel. So keep an eye out for correspondence about the new book. I’m guessing it should launch late mid- to late March.

2. My next novella, Under the Sea, will be finished and MAY be published.

Green Bay Outsiders is part of the Maddox Men series, which includes Billy Maddox Takes His Shot (an already published novel) and “Billy and Darla“, a free short story.

I’ve also conceptualized a horror series to be titled the “Thin Mistress Series”. The novella, The Curse of Jaxx, is already part of that series. I have a full first scene from Under the Sea, the next novel in the series, and may make it available during the launch of Green Bay Outsiders. In any case, I do have an outline of the story and will hope to get it done (if not published) by the end of the year.

Around mid-year I expect I’ll let you know what progress I’m making along those lines.

3. I’ll do more video. 

Despite being an author, I also know video is one of the best ways a personality can relate to others online. With that in mind, my goal to do more video is two-fold. First of all, it lets you (my readers) get to know me better. And secondly, it gives me the chance to interview other authors who may interest you. See an image below of an interview I did with Mike Sahno; I’m on the right (wearing a slightly ruffled Star Wars hoodie).

My hope is to do more videos such as this one. If you click on the image, you will be routed to the actual interview video on YouTube.

I have a second interview scheduled with Marcy McKay, author of Pennies from Burger Heaven, in a couple weeks. So I’ll be sure to post it when the interview is available so you can learn more about her writing.

4. I hope to do more on Facebook.

If you already like my Facebook page (you can access it here), you know I publish quotes from classic literary fiction like what you see below.

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If you’re not already a follower, but like the idea of getting quotes from classic fiction like this one delivered to your Facebook feed, consider liking my Facebook page.

I also hope to do more promotions on Facebook. For example, I’m toying with the idea of making the first scene from Under the Sea available only via Facebook. I’m not sure I’ll do that yet though, and I don’t want to do anything that’s going to annoy my readers. But I think being active on Facebook is a good way to go since, right now, the only access you have to me is through once-every-other-week emails.

So, anyway, that’s it. Those are my writer’s resolutions for the new year. They’re a little more modest than what I proposed last year, and hopefully that means I’ve made them more attainable. New Year’s resolutions are always challenging – attempting to find the right balance between changes that are challenging but attainable and those that are just far too ambitious is not an easy task. But of course it’s also an exciting one since it provides an opportunity to look back at the end of December and reflect on your successes and shortcomings.

In any case, I hope 2018 treated you all well and I wish everyone a happy new year.

Feel free to leave a note in the comments section below, highlighting some reading goals you have set for yourself for 2019, whether it be the number of books you want to read, a particular book you finally want to get to, or some other reading-related goal.