Happy New Years!

I don’t know about everyone else, but I’m not sure I’m ready for 2022 to be over or for 2023 to begin. This past year has flown by. I feel like I just got settled into the year and now it’s already over. Honestly, I kind of feel like I have whiplash.

Perhaps some of my disorientation is because this last month has been particularly fast due to working on a first draft, having my wisdom teeth taken out, and preparing for the holidays. As a result, I didn’t put as many words in the manuscript as I am used to. Maybe that’s part of the reason I’m feeling a tad disoriented as we embark on a new year.

The week between Christmas and New Year’s was particularly rough. I worked, but I don’t think I could have told you what day it was at any given time. The word count day by day veered from horrendous at 600 words to amazing at 3400. Overall, I’m happing with the trajectory of the plot. There’s something really cool I want to do in the ending, but I’m still trying to figure out logistics—and how to get from where I am to where I want to go.

Christmas for us was pretty good this year. My sister came in from out of town—though she arrived two days later than planned because of the winter storm. While she was here, we went on a hike in Hocking Hills which was beautiful.

For gifts, my husband and I did something different this year. Mostly because he couldn’t think of anything he wanted and I forgot that he’d asked if I wanted a toaster oven/air fryer. So, when I asked for a second thing, not remembering the first, he decided he would just say he wanted that for Christmas and that our gifts would be to us as a family rather than a personal gift.

The second gift was a Theragun elite. According to their website description, it is a smart percussive therapy device. I have to tell you—it is amazing. I worked out on Saturday at Orange Theory and a couple hours later my legs and lower back were aching because it had been a week since the last time I worked out and we’d done some all outs. Fifteen minutes with the Theragun and the majority of my aches and pains were gone. It’s also helped a lot with the tightness in my neck from so many hours in an office chair and the tightness in my hips for the same reason. All in all, I’m so glad he decided he wanted this. Though I do feel a wee bit guilty because he hasn’t used it once.

In years past, I’ve always done a post forecasting the next year in regards to the books and I thought I’d keep the tradition alive. So, here goes. The plan as of now—though as always I make no promises of actually sticking to this plan.

First up—Facets of Revolution’s audio book will be published March 28.

Aileen 6 will be available in Spring. I’m about 60-70 percent through her story. A few more scenes and I’ll get to head in to the lead up to the climax. I also have a deleted scene from Twilight’s Herald I’m hoping to publish via the blog in the next few weeks.

Firebird 5 will be next. I’m sure many of you will be happy about that. I will say I’m glad I took a break to work on Aileen before jumping straight into this book because Kira and company have started speaking in my head and their adventures are going to be spectacular.

Truthfully Firebird 5 will probably be the last book of the year, but if by some miracle I have time, I’ll work on Firebird 6 next or finally start the new secret series. I haven’t decided which.

That’s the plan anyway. Hope everyone’s year is off to a good start.