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2022 was a trashfire of stress...and it still turned out pretty well. I wrote books I'm really proud of, and I got a few bestseller flags, and I did some art I love and worked on a project of my heart. It was a rollercoaster. I'm not sad to see the year end, but I grew and loved and created and it was worth it.



Some of my proudest highlights: The Dragon Prince's Secret and The Dragon Prince's Magic. Dragon's Instinct. The Flamingo's Fated Mate. Januraven. Junicorn. Hare Today. Gnome Sweet Gnome. First Comes Love trilogy and an impulsive free Christmas story. 

Goals for 2023:

Man, I trimmed this list a BUNCH, and it still looks like a lot.

• Release Suddenly Squirrel
• Revise and publish Unicorn's Instinct.
• Write and publish The Dragon Prince's Betrayal
• Write and publish The Bear in the Birdbath (Lawn Ornament Shifters 3)
• Write and publish Wolf Without Warning (Suddenly Shifters)
• One more book? Gryphon's Instinct? New series?? Ack! 
• Finish Shifting Sands Resort in audio
• Get Green Valley Shifters into audio
• Frank merchandise on Redbubble
• Write more efficiently and improve my craft
• Up my newsletter and marketing game
• Januraven
• Junicorn 
• Finish my Secret Passion Project

2020 was seriously weird, but I did some things:



That's five books published, and three solo short story collections. It's also the serious launch of a new pen name (two of those five books). It's about sixty art cards. Three short stories in two anthologies. Project: Hug (13 flash fictions).

I found my breaking point this year - the point at which I can't simply power forward and continue making things happen. I am grateful that I was in a position where I could step back and stop for a while to regroup, and I feel considerably better and more balanced and ready to do things again.

I found my goals for 2020:

*Write six books - I re-wrote Dragon Prince, wrote Unicorn of Glass, Broken Lynx, Dragon Prince's Librarian, and Gryphon of Glass (twice), plus a whole lot of short stories and several novellas. I ditched the Green Valley Christmas book. If you count re-writes, I made it, otherwise...no.

*Publish six books and two story collections (Is that crazy? Probably!) - Oh, sweet summer past self, you had no IDEA how crazy. I ended up dropping one book from this plan...and adding another collection.

*Submit to two anthologies - submitted to four, got into three, two were published this year, one scheduled for January.

*30 pieces of cat art in one month. #junikitty? #janucat? - I morphed this into magical pets, but I consider this a goal met. I also did #junicorn again and raised $1k for the food bank.

*Work on the sequel to the Alaska Animals Native Translation coloring book - I didn't so much as look at this and they haven't agitated. Definitely back-burnered.

Personal Goals:

*Work on my physical strength - Some...not as much as I'd like. I did keep up on belly dance, and the three of us kept each other sane during this crazy year.

*Avoid comparing myself with others and focus on self-confidence without outside validation - I actually did a fine job of this. By the end of the year, I simply didn't have the extra energy to waste on comparing myself to other people.

# # #

Obviously, 2020 was one of those years that no one really sees coming. My goals had been based on things like school and summer camp, and the husband being at work, not camped in my kitchen on video conferences. Instead of writing being a career I was pursuing, writing was something I shoved desperately into the corners of being a full-time teacher and care-giver. I canceled trips. I lost friends. I had triumphs. My faith in humans was badly shaken. Things I took for granted proved dangerous. I re-examined myself and didn't always like what I found. I learned. I broke and rebuilt. I shut down more major parts of EMG. It was a wild, wild rollercoaster with no seatbelts.

My goals for 2021 are hopefully gentler. They're definitely humbler.

I'm planning on writing four books: Dragon Prince's Bride, Firebird of Glass (concludes a series!), Green Valley Christmoose, and Shifting Sands Academy. Of these, the last is the least solid and might get replaced with another idea I've been toying with. I have some novellas in mind, too - three Kalikoi/Elva lesfics, and a Suddenly Shifters reprint. (These would be expanded from existing things.) In a perfect world, I would also write The Dragon Prince's Magic and some new novellas, and possibly start the last Green Valley book and also do the middle grade book I have in mind.

Artwise, I want to do another art card challenge this year. No idea what that will look like. I don't seem to be out of #junicorn ideas.

I'd also like to put together a new coloring book for print on demand. No one wants to buy from small press and ship from Alaska when they can get it from Amazon with free shipping, and if you can't beat them, join them! This would be a compilation of existing artwork and a few new pages.

In personal goals, my ambitions are minimal: stay healthy and maintain grace. I can't predict what 2021 is going to be like, but I do know that it's not going to be 'normal' again immediately. We're distance-learning at least until summer, and I'm not optimistic about summer camps. Teleworking might be a thing for a long while. I have to be patient, with myself and others. I have to be kind and remember to be grateful. I have so much to be thankful for.

2019 was a helluva creative year.

I wrote and published six novels and a collection of short stories. I was included in two anthologies. I hit the top 50 in all Amazon Kindle books with one of my books. (And a second one was CLOSE at 51.)

The coloring book I was commissioned to do featuring Native Alaskan animal name translations was finished and released and I feel like it's one of the best things I've ever done with my artwork.

I finished the hunky shifters coloring book. It only released as a digital download on Etsy and is no longer available, but it was still a thing!

I did 30 #junicorn cards, mostly in June. Some of them weren't quiiiite finished.

I painted probably 50 ornaments. Maybe fewer, but I bet it's close.

It was a helluva year in other ways, too.

I had LASIK surgery on my eyes and went from utterly helpless without glasses to able to drive without glasses, and it has completely changed my life. My daughter turned seven and started reading chapter books to herself and got a green belt in karate and learned to play piano. I got stung by wasps and traveled so much that the airline gave me MVP status.

I decided to close Portrait Adoption and EMG-Zine, which is a tremendous weight off my shoulders. I loved those projects, but at some point, they just aren’t worth keeping up. I ran twelve Sketch Fests.

There were successes, and there were failures, and there was so much learning, and so much love. I did things I never thought I could and said goodbye to things I once thought would be my future.

I can’t wait to see what 2020 brings.

(And yes, I realize I probably should have waited until next year for the eye surgery for maximum pun possibility. Alas.)

The sky is getting dark before 3, which is not entirely unusual. But it's also just starting to snow, and the forecast is for up to 15 inches over the next few days, with winds to 50 mph. Power outages are expected (and prepared for!), and I feel like the whole world is just... holding its breath.

I'm in no rush for 2017.

I find no real comfort in the turning of the calendar year, and I do not assign 2016 any malice for the many griefs and upsets that were suffered. I don't find a lot of immediacy in the many celebrity deaths, but I did lose a friend this year, and there were many times I had to stop and wonder at the lunacy of the world and re-examine things I'd taken for granted.

That said, it wasn't all that bad of a year for me personally. I did a lot of art. I wrote and published two not-really-books (not the SAME books, because there is a little lag between writing and publishing - 1 was written in 2015, and one is due to be released in February)... and one of them did amazingly well, while the other still did better than I ever would have expected before this year. I kept my fingers in programming and added some pretty awesome new features to my sites. I had illustrations published in two books (one paid, one a charity project). I released seven new coloring books, one of them a solo book of my own. I did a tarot card for the 78Tarot Carnival project.

I was bold and courageous about my own work, which paid off in crazy spades. I didn't get everything I applied for, but I did get three noteable contracts, one of which I have been able to share nothing about yet, and I'm so, so pleased with my work on it so far.

I did #junicorn, and #smaugust (though I fell a little short there), and #inktober. I did some work in color, and a LOT in black and white. I even started a painting, though it would be more impressive if I had finished it. I wrote a non-fiction article.

Business sales were brisk at the beginning of the year, my new coloring book Kickstarter was a solid success, and then sales tapered over to nearly nothing over the summer, with no real holiday rebound, to my surprise. My Patreon page continues to grow in teeny steps, and my Etsy shop grew considerably in size and modestly in sales. (This month was my best ever in sales!)

My daughter turned four, early in the year, and has been SO VERY FOUR. She vacillates from the sweetest, cuddliest, more precocious little angel to the most frustrating, infuriating, stubborn little monster. I love her in all her ways, but want to strangle her more in some than others. Trying to get her to wear pants is crazy-hard.

There were world-changing health scares in the immediate family, and I am grateful that the terrible potential outcomes were dodged. It was eye-opening. We have life insurance now, it was that serious. I will never take our heath for granted the same way again.

2016 was not awful. It was not unblemished, but it was by far not my personal worst.

I know a lot of people look at 2017 with fear and pessimism, and I understand why, but I'm pretty optimistic.

I'm looking forward to seeing all the amazing, creative projects that my inspired and inspiring friends will make. I'm looking forward to Guppy turning five and seeing what she's like as a five-year-old. I'm excited for the adventures I'm going to have with my amazing husband. I am eager to push my boundaries more - can I write THREE not-a-books this year? Even more? What changes will 2017 make on my art style? Will I FINISH a painting?

It has snowed an inch or so, since I started this entry, but the expected wind has still not arrived yet. I am content to wait. I am ready for the storm. I am ready for the year. I am ready.

Are you?

I decided not to do a July-December image-intensive post... because after June, I started doing those monthly and it seems redundant to do that all over again. (You can see them at the monthly roundup tag)

But I AM interested in looking at some of the totals I got to, and examining how the things I did related to my goals as I think about what goals I need for the next year.

( Long, and possibly boring... )

My 2014 Goals:

Many of the items on the checklist will overlap; things that will fulfill my art goals, for example, may also expand my personal career goals, etc. One thing to note is that none of my system items rely on anyone else... none of them include 'get a story published,' just 'submit a story for publication.'

Color codes: good progress, done!, not started (Last updated 12/31/14)

Writing Goals:

More exciting writing!
Less boring slice-of-life stuff.
More substance. (Stuff that MATTERS)

System:

At least 15 stories or serial installments that have really great 'hook.' - I have a few here, but I didn't do a great job with this.
At least one story that is a stand-alone. - Yes! It's short, and non-Torn World: Give up the Ghost
At least one piece of finished non-fiction. Kickstarter Clues
Read 10 books. (Novellas count.) 13 novels and 1 novella. (Nine of those novels in the space of 2 weeks...)
Revise the Upheaval novel. - Haven't touched it.


Art Goals:

Less static portraiture
Bolder color use
Improved hands

System:

1 Master's study.
12 pages of hands. (A page may be multiple sketches or one large detailed piece.) - I have a lot of pages of hands in the short comic I'm working on, but it doesn't really count
6 pieces in color. Installing the Lights, Farscout and Brightwood, and Skykittens (halfway!)
At least 2 sketches per Sketch Fest. Usually much more!


Personal Career Goals:

Take my own art and career more seriously.

System:

Submit at least one piece of writing to a publisher. - Script submission to New Worlds, rejected.
Submit at least one piece of artwork to a publisher. -Submission to Unlikely 3/1/14 - brushed off.
Complete four new coloring book pages. 2 (Colors of Change, Negotiations, Installing the Lights, Zombie Mom, Zombie Roommate, Zombie Artist, Zombie Pinup, Muse, Tam Lin)
Complete six new Portrait Adoption pieces. - Last one isn't scanned, but it's close enough to count.
Kickstart a project for ME. (Rails? Sea Monster Web? Torn World Postcards? Sketch Fest chapbooks? SO many ideas!) - It wasn't through Kickstarter, but I did crowdfund the Sea Monster Scale chart, and I've started the Sketch Tarot. That counts.
Work on a cohesive show collection. - I had a show in October, and pulled together a good display that was well-received. Sold no originals.


Business Goals:

Expand the reach of my coloring books
Reinvigorate Portrait Adoption
Continue Torn World
Re-examine Commission Control
Continue Sketch Fest

System:

Release at least two new coloring books. (Kickstarter?) - BOOYEAH.
Make promotional material for the coloring books and get it out to retailers and customers. I ran the Kickstarter too late to get this done this year.
Improve public documentation for coloring book submission, to attract more artists. - Done!
Make promotional material for Portrait Adoption, get it out to the audience.
Continue writing/releasing stories in the main Torn World storyline. - Fell on my face... but figured out why!
Do something fun for Sea Monster month. - Sea Monster Scale Chart! Yay!
Make a game plan for Commission Control. - I have actually poked this a bit. I evaluated what went wrong with the last release and have some good ideas for it.
Run at least 12 Sketch Fests. Continue to improve the site. - Still chugging along!


Personal Goals:

Mental health
Physical health
Household contribution

System:

Maintain downtime and pamper myself once in a while. I did okay with this, but not great.
Contribute financially to personal retirement. Made my goal.
Take a strengthening class (dance counts!) or a reliable gym regimen. I fell off this wagon, badly.
Be more mindful of my posture, especially while working. The standing desk I developed in response to the toddler's lengthening reach helped here, otherwise I was not at all mindful.
Listen to music. Lots and lots of Disney princess songs... which only gets me half-credit.
Keep the lists above from becoming overwhelming by cutting as is reasonable. I didn't cut anything deliberately, but I'm not letting the reds and blues above get me down. I felt like it was a fairly well-balanced year. I'm ready for the next one.

This is long! I will do my look-back in a new post.

Going into this year, I listed two goals: 'Have baby' and 'Care for baby.' Check, and check!

But wait, there's more!

Non-fiction (4 articles):

Shared Story World Content Navigation and Management (originally published here)
Half the Story: DPI
Stop! Thieves!
The End is Near

Fiction:

Rails (20, not counting End Part 3): Derailed, Don't Say Murder, Off Rails, Wrong Side of the Rails, Railcaged, Blackrail, Railfashions Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Jumping the Rails Part 1, and Part 2. Plus, Following the Rails, (untitled, possibly Rail Betrayal), Railbrakes, Safety Rails Part 1 and 2, and End of the Rails, Part 1, 2 and almooooost 3.

Torn World, but not Rails (8): City of Lights 3; Ithoi, The Sea Queen*, Birthing, Moon Blossom Ritual, Winning the Game, Colors of Change, and A Letter-Friend. Also, Meetings.

Torn World poetry (9): Serpent Skin*, Winter's Empty, Reflections of Water, A Little Chaos on Combing Day, First Day on the Trail, A Wild Wind, Youngest and Oldest, Of People and Colors and Getting the License.

Artwork:

Torn World art (16): Nefessa, Dalvo, Omorth, Larli, Alikii, Ablara, Ralyaan Purist, I Will Keep You Warm (Kether and Lenarai), Love at First Bite, Rash, Fishing, Warsailor Garb, Tifureir, Snagtooth, Unicorn Boots, and Timekeeper 2000.

(Mostly) Non Torn World art:

New stamp art (9): Unicorn's Wreath, Tangled Up Christmas Dragon, Snowflake Fairy, Holly Unicorn, Gingerbread Dragon, Candy Cane Dragon and Snow-Unicorn's Tree. Also, unreleased: Snail Love and Unicorn Pair.

Portrait Adoption pieces: O.o None?! That's terrible of me!

Miscellaneous: Mountains landscape painting, some random abstracts, one dragon and silly RTH artwork and Maiden, Mother and Crone.

For Sketch Fest: 70 Sketches (with some overlap with finished art listed above)

I made an actual factual sale of artwork to a magazine, started two licensing contracts, and was also interviewed in Cruzines and at EMG-Zine.

I ended EMG-Zine, after a run of 7 years, and released no publications, which might be a first since... gosh, 1997?

In all, not bad. I think that's a lot, considering how chaotic life can be with a small monster to care for, and how much of the year was spent with Very Little sleep. It's certainly more than I expected to accomplish. I also did a fair amount of programming, both standard freelance stuff for other people, work on EMG-Zine, Torn World and a LOT at the Sketch Fest site.

Up next? Creative goals for 2013.