New Year. New Books. Thank you, Readers.
2022 was supposed to have been a banner year. Instead, it was down-to-the-soul exhausting, and that happens sometimes. We can't control everything despite our best efforts to do so. I don't like to make New Year's resolutions because I believe that goals and dreams should be worked toward no matter the time of year. However, at the start of each year, I do like to look over my lists, see what I've accomplished, and determine what I can do better in the coming year.
Christmas in Crooked Creek released two months later than originally planned (courtesy of exhaustion), but it was written and released in time for Christmas, and I have a wealth of short story starts that will turn into serials, novellas, or novels in the future.
I have so many stories floating around in my imagination, waiting for their turn. My problem is that I often want to give them all my attention at once, and it's not easy to focus on only one project.
This is why where I live has always been so important to me.
Even before I began writing, I needed time alone in the world without any distractions or complications. The calm of the mountains, the quiet (except at New Year's and July Fourth), cold winters, and flower-filled summers all help to balance and rejuvenate, and give me the calm I need to continue writing.
I find that I'm in need of more balance in my life. Less time with my computer and more time outdoors, on my feet, not staring an electronic gadget. Ultimately, I'll be a happier writer for it.
2023 will be a year of . . .
Streamlining email subscriptions (I know how to find the info I want when I want.)
Finishing the purge project I began in 2022 to rid my life of stuff I too often forget I have.
Spend at least one hour playing outdoors for every hour I spend writing at the computer.
Add at least one extra hour of reading time per day.
These might sound like resolutions when in fact they are changes for a happier, healthier, and more mentally fulfilling life, and all are so attainable. When I want drama, I'll open a book or work on one of my own. With perhaps two more weeks of rehab on my ankle, I expect much of that to be spent writing.
I am so very grateful for all of my readers—those who have been with me from the beginning and those who have joined us along the way.
Thank you for your interest in the worlds and families I've created.
Thank you for the time you spend reading my books.
Thank you for your kind words of encouragment.
Thank you, dear reader, for being you.
Here's to the closing of one chapter and the beginning of a new one.
— MK