Happy New Year everyone! I’ve been without internet for the past week as we packed up the last of my things in St. Louis and moved them back to South Bend so this is a little later (and longer) than originally planned. We got back last night in time to rest a little, have pizza and ring in 2024.

The new year certainly started off right! Just after midnight, I found out that America’s Forgotten Suffragists won Gold (the highest level) in the non-fiction category of the Historical Fiction Company Awards! I completely forgot I even entered that contest, so it was a very pleasant surprise! You can read their 5-star review of the book here. (I think this bodes well for it winning the Pulitzer on May 8, don’t you?)

Thinking About 2023

I just looked back at what my word of the year was for 2023 and it was “health.” Yeah, not the way the year went at all. If there was a word that describes 2023 accurately it would be” whirlwind.”

On the book side of things, I released five books this year: Raising our Voices: League of Women Voters of Metro St. Louis 1960-2022; America’s Forgotten Suffragists: Virginia and Francis Minor; a chapter in Ethics in the Arthurian Legend; Fierce Females on Television: A Cultural History; and Catherine’s Mercy. This was the culmination of two years of really hard work and to be honest, I’m tired and a little crispy. But more on that in a bit.

My personal life was even crazier. In January I had my first date with Chris, the younger brother of a girl I’ve been friends with since I was 15. It was terrible. Normally, I would have written Chris off, but for some reason I gave him a second chance. We did the long distance thing until May, when I moved to South Bend, Indiana, to live with him. He proposed to me in September and we’re getting married next October. It sounds like things moved fast—and they did—but we’re both at a point in life (in our 40s) where we know what we want and when you find it, why wait? I can honestly say I didn’t know I could love someone so much. I can’t imagine going back to my previous life, and God willing, I won’t ever have to.

Moving to another state disrupted my whole life—my job (I had a rough go of it but thank God I got to keep it), every single way I live. Balancing that with all the book releases and my personal life was very, very difficult. I will admit to breaking down several times, crying a lot (sometimes just out of stress, sometimes happiness, and sometimes sadness), and having a tough time adjusting. But now things are getting better, mainly because I’m getting used to my new life, I think I have a good handle on my day job again and that I have so much support from Chris.

Given that nothing in 2023 went the way I expected, let’s take a look at my goals for this year and see how I did:

Writing

• Edit Catherine’s Mercy – Done
• Do additional marketing for Sex and the City – I think I did this, but I’m honestly not sure.
• Market and successfully release: – Done
  • Raising Our Voices
  • America’s Forgotten Suffragists
  • Catherine’s Mercy
  • The project I haven’t talked about yet (I’m not sure which one this was)
  • The Arthurian Ethics book
  • Fierce Females in Television
• Write – Did not do any of these, but I had a really good excuse named Chris
  • Revolutionary War book (started)
  • 1920s book (research started)
  • Stretch goal: WWII (halfway done)
• Attend the Historical Novel Society Conference in June – Did this and loved it!
• Speak as a member of the Missouri Speaker’s Bureau – Done
• Learn how to better use TikTok – Oddly enough, I stopped using it for a long time
• Continue writing poetry – I wrote some, but I don’t think I shared any

Personal

• Enjoy life! – Um, does being caught in a whirlwind count? I think so because it was mostly good.
• Lose about 70 lbs – nope
• Get into a habit exercise and healthy eating – nope
• Pay down debt (I promised my Chicago friends I would move there by the end of 2024) – no, but we are working on the debt and I now live only 2 hours from Chicago, so sort of?
• Get reaquatinted with my spiritual side – not really
• Celebrate 20 years at my day job and keep it until I can write full time – yes, barely, but I did it!
• As for fun: go see more concerts (Placebo in April in Chicago!), theatre (Les Mis and Six this month!), dance, get into gaming again (maybe on Twitch?), etc. – all this and so much more!

Hello 2024!
Because of all of this, I was planning on not doing any writing until after the wedding, but I was approached the other day by a publisher who is interested in a certain type of book. We’re going to talk about a few ideas I have. I have no idea how that is going to go, but I’m hopeful.

I also have a non-fiction that I want to work on because it has basically become my entire personality right now (and ties into a future fiction project) and I got a fun idea on the way back from St. Louis the other day. I’m looking at the new idea as something I write just for me and if it gets published someday, fabulous. If not, I don’t care.

Regardless of what happens with those ideas. I’m going to focus more on marketing the books I have, having a work/life balance and enjoying planning my wedding. I’ve worked my butt off for the last two years with my writing and honestly, I’m not seeing nearly enough return on it to keep going that way. Plus, I have better things to do with my time now.

There are several books I definitely still want to write, but I need to allow myself to deal with the continued transitions in my life in a healthy way. (Which, oddly, brings us back full circle to my word of the year for 2023.)

I’m going to try to go light(er) on the goals for 2024:

• Enjoy my time with Chris as much as possible.
  1. I think this one will happen because Chris is really sweet about helping me to relax.
  2. We travel a lot, which forces me to remove myself from my problems.
  3. We have our honeymoon to look forward to! (We’re going to England.)
• Lose 70 lbs before my wedding in October.
  1. I know I’ve said this for many years, but if this doesn’t motivate me to do it, nothing will.
  2. This is going to take a lot of willpower, but it is possible.
  3. I’m already working on healthier eating; it’s the exercise that I have a hard time prioritizing.
  4. I’m working with a health coach through my day job and my doctor has recommended me to a weight loss clinic in town.
  5. Chris is very supportive and is willing to help me as much as I want him to. He is very clear this has nothing to do with my looks; he wants me to be healthy so that we can be together for a long time.
• Enjoy wedding planning and all events that come with it.
  1. I’ve got a good start on this, so I’m hoping I won’t have a lot of stress as the time gets closer.
  2. I’m really enjoying doing the flowers, décor and writing the ceremony.
  3. The wedding shower will be in June; the bachelorette party in September.
• Redesign my house. You know I love DIY projects.
  1. I have solid plans for an overall look (you guys will love it!)
  2. I know exactly what I want the bedroom to look like. Just waiting on the money to get what I need to.
  3. I have a vision for the kitchen and an idea for the living room.
• Write because I have stories to tell and because I enjoy it.
  1. I hope money comes along with it, but I’m tired of chasing after it.
  2. I need to remember why I started writing in the first place, and money wasn’t it.

Normally this is where I pick a word of the year for 2024, but I’m not going to do that this year. I was thinking something like “balance” or “fun,” but for some reason every time I go to select one, I freeze up. Maybe I’m just burned out on this tradition or maybe its because I forgot to pack my anxiety meds and haven’t had one for a week, but I just can’t get myself to do it. Maybe no word is the new tradition.

Thank you all for your support in 2023 (and always). I wish you a bright, happy new year filled with blessings and abundance.