goals for 2014

2013 was a rather interesting year. As far as writing goes, I didn’t write as much as I would have liked or publish as many books as I wanted to, but I have the best excuse in the world for it: my beautiful baby girl. Between pregnancy hormones, a not-working brain in my last few months, and taking care of a newborn at the end of the year, publishing books just wasn’t in the cards for me.

I did manage to publish one book, the Chroniker City novella Le Theatre Mecanique, in April, a book I started at the end of 2012. That was before the hormones and the pregnancy brain hit. I also worked on the second draft of The Wizard’s Heart and began working on the third draft with my editor, but unfortunately, that revision just couldn’t happen while I was pregnant. My brain wasn’t in the right space. It didn’t work properly. So, I had to step away from The Wizard’s Heart. I had to step away from The Guild Conspiracy, sequel to The Clockwork Giant, for the same reasons. I think I was more disappointed about that than my fans.

Now 2014 is on the horizon, and I have the same goals as 2013. Only this time, I have no plans of adding another baby to the mix. Of course, I’ll be taking care of my little one, and that’s going to change how I work, and when, but I don’t expect it to have a huge impact on my productivity. Yes, I’ll probably be writing weird hours, with a baby strapped to my chest, holding a pacifier while typing one handed, but now that my brain is working properly again, I shouldn’t have a problem actually writing or editing.

So, my goals for 2014 are thus:

The Wizard’s Heart

• Finish the third draft and send to my editor
• Revise the third draft
• Prepare the beta-draft and send to beta-readers
• Revise for publication
• Publish

The Guild Conspiracy

• Write the first draft
• Complete the second draft
• Prepare the beta-draft and send to beta-readers
• Revise for publication
• Publish

I expect The Wizard’s Heart to take up the first half of the year and The Guild Conspiracy to take the second half. That means that I should publish two books in 2014, one in the summer and one in the winter… hopefully. Of course, plans are likely to change—they always do—but I have a good feeling about this year.

If, miraculously, I do manage to publish both books and have some time left in the year, I might work on Wizardry Schmizardry, or I may work on the still untitled medieval fantasy. I’m not sure. I should probably go straight into The Chroniker Legacy, the third and final book about Petra, but if I have a month or two at the end of the year, it would be nice to take a break from Chroniker City before jumping back in at the start of 2015. Who knows, I might be able to publish the second book well before the year is over and then start on the third ahead of schedule.

Finishing the Chroniker City books is my priority. I’m only putting The Wizard’s Heart first this year because it’s so close to being ready for publication, but once it’s out of the way, I want to get both The Guild Conspiracy and The Chroniker Legacy out as quickly as possible so that I can be done. Then, I can move on to other things.

So those are my plans for 2014. I already have my eye on 2015, seeing the completion of the Chroniker City series (or, at least Petra’s story ::wink::), and maybe the start of something new, but I suppose I have to get this year out of the way first, and maybe—just maybe—you’ll have two books from me by the end of it. :)