Around Christmas, and with the New Year on the near horizon, one looks around them to see what they've accomplished in the past year. Did they achieve their goals and resolutions they'd set out for themselves? Or was there something they'd wished was done differently, changed somehow?
When I think about my last New Year's Resolution, I can't help but look at how far I've come since a small wish that came true. It can all be summed up in one simple and complex word; publication. Sure, before that I had repeatedly gone through the rounds of submission and rejection, but the key determination hadn't set in for some time, but when it did, that goal became clearer and clearer. My efforts doubled, if not more so.
But through it all, the word was easy to say, not as easy to do. There is so much to learn in this business, and one never does really stop, especially in any type of entertainment industry such as publishing in any format. And that one word has come to mean something entirely different than when I first set this goal. I sit here day on Christmas Day between gatherings with loved ones, wondering at my naivety of back then, for I had no real concept of what being published meant.
It has only been a few short weeks that have passed since my first published book Jezebel's Article was released in e-book, and then a week ago in print. Not only that, but I've had The Bruja Ligera, and both books in Sara's Story come out this past year. I've just finished two more for publication in January and February. This absolutely stuns me to no end, but having said that, I keep going, moving in directions I'd never before considered.
My goals have changed, what used to be of utmost importance to me, now fades into the background. I'm beginning to see a bigger picture for myself, and where I want my writing to go. I've chosen Paranormal as my broad spectrum, and I have many plans for this, and every day that passes it morphs into something more finely detailed. I also want to grow as a writer, and try things I haven't yet, in both published and unpublished works.
Some of the things I will be trying this year may include any number of things, but the first project is a PG Gothic Romance, one not placed in my world as the rest are, though it is has a thread of Paranormal. This one is set in nineteenth century Ireland, with ghosts running around striving for their own justice. The second will be Paranormal Erotica, and much like JA it will be vampire menage, however a little different, with elements of GLBT (Fem on Fem, MMFF).
My other projects will include two full-length books that tack on after Deadly Fetishes, revealing more and more of the Cornwall Vampire's trials and tribulations. As well, the Jericho Coven will be back as well...and Sara's Story will continue on with book three later in the New Year.
In hindsight, I know my journey is still just beginning, but now I better know my path than I did. I'm thrilled with where I am, and my prospects for the future. For all of the many New Years Resolutions I've failed to deliver on, one of the most challenging of my life so far was filled with success.
What is your last NYR, and did you succeed? What is this year's? Or what did you accomplish in the past year that stands out from the rest? Leave a comment with an answer to one of these questions, WITH YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS, for a chance to win my newest release, Jezebel's Article.
Or e-mail your answer to: kaydenmcleod@yahoo.ca
Contest closed January 2nd 2010 :)
Good Luck...
Kayden McLeod
