Hello, 2017!

Okay, okay, I admit it... I've been lazy the last few weeks. 2016 did not exactly boost my enthusiasm (at least, the last three months didn't) for anything, but I have resolved (yes, there's that word) to approach the next twelve months with a renewed sense of purpose and enthusiasm and even, dare I say, joy!

Everyone experiences loss in every year. Some are huge, like the loss of a friend or family member. Other losses, while perhaps not as devastating are, nevertheless, energy-draining. Having a long-term goal seem to get, not easier with the passage of time but harder, can sink one into a funk that is equable to being mired in quicksand.

My career as an author (quick note: one does not have to become a millionaire, nor even make any money, to consider work a career) has slowed down. In fact, it seems to be stalling, but even if I have to get out and push, I resolve to make it go forward. My fifth book did not come out as planned in 2016, for reasons beyond anyone's control, and I firmly believe that there was a reason for that. Though I finished out the year less than bubbling over with enthusiasm, I look forward to having the book ("A Summer to Remember") out in the next couple of months and to making a sizable dent in the manuscript for the next book. And whatever happens, I will continue to write.

I am already starting out the new year with an event--a book talk at the Capitan Public Library on Sunday, January 8 at 3:00 p.m. I look forward to meeting new readers and perhaps some new writers as well.

And those of you who have stuck with me through the last year, take heart! You're what keeps me going when it seems like my words are forever being lost on my laptop screen. I may give my characters life, but you give them a purpose.

So onward we go! Happy New Year!