UPDATE: The winner is…Debra Guyette!
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Hello, everyone! I want to start with a giant thank you to Delilah for letting me play on her blog again. It’s always a blast!

So, it’s the end of the year, time to take stock of what we accomplished in the past twelve months and take a look at what we want to do in the next twelve. I had big plans for 2019, and I’m sure many of you did, too. Did you reach those goals you set for yourself, or did you aim a little too high?

I started looking at my 2019 list back in October and shaking my head. They seemed perfectly realistic when I put them on paper last year. Since I managed less than half of them, I have to say that wasn’t true. Oh, sure, if I wrote full-time, I don’t doubt I could have pulled them all off—they were nowhere near the amount of writing I did when my kids were little and I was home full-time. But I have a day-job now, so I should have been more realistic, clearly.

That made me take a much harder look at my goals for 2020. I had already scaled them back a little, realizing my 2019 list was too much. Then I looked at them again and chopped off some more, thinking how much more discipline I could exercise in the new year to make things happen. Then I looked at them again the other day, with a voice in my head telling me it was still too much. Sure, lots of people can pull off half a dozen book releases in a year. But I haven’t done the self-pub thing yet, so it’s going to have a learning curve for me, and I don’t want to screw it up when I get there. That lopped a couple more things off the list, in case I need more time than I’m anticipating to navigate those new waters.

I’d like to say I have a perfect goal list in front of me right now, but I think I am still going to do some fine-tuning in the next couple of days before the new year starts. The way the past few years have gone, with family things and the day-job, I’m leaning toward giving myself plenty of elbow-room for my goals, enough time to actually make them happen, and happen right, not half-assed. I’m sure it still won’t be the perfect goal list—I’m far from perfect, so why would my goals for the near year be perfect? But it will be closer, and if I exceed my expectations, well, that would be great, too, and give me a boost of confidence when I start on goals next fall for 2021, right?

How much time do you take to work out your goals for each new year? Do you obsess over them (as I feel like I’m doing this year), or do you just put them down on paper and leave it at that without too much debate? I’d love to know—I’m always looking for new ideas that might help me out, and they may be useful to someone else as well—and I have a shiny new 2020 Llewellyn’s Witch’s Calendar (wall version) to give away to one commenter.

About the Author

Elizabeth Andrews has been a book lover since she was old enough to read. She read her copies of Little Women and the Little House series so many times, the books fell apart. As an adult, her book habit continues. She has a room overflowing with her literary collection right now, and still more spreading into other rooms. Almost as long as she’s been reading great stories, she’s been attempting to write her own. Thanks to a fifth grade teacher who started the class on creative writing, Elizabeth went from writing creative sentences to short stories and eventually full-length novels. Her father saved her poor, callused fingers from permanent damage when he brought home a used typewriter for her.

Elizabeth found her mother’s stash of romance novels as a teenager, and-though she loves horror- romance became her very favorite genre, making writing romances a natural progression. There are more than just a few manuscripts, however, tucked away in a filing cabinet that will never see the light of day.
Along with her enormous book stash, Elizabeth lives with her husband of more than twenty-five years, and frequent visits from her two young adult sons, though no one else in the house reads nearly as much as she does. When she’s not at work or buried in books or writing, there is a garden outside full of herbs, flowers and vegetables that requires occasional attention.

You can find her virtually at www.ElizabethAndrewsWrites.com or on social media.

As we approach the end of the second decade of this millennium, I thought I would share a few lessons that I’ve learned this year. For me, 2019 has been a bit of a rollercoaster ride. I’ve had a few highs and acquired some deep bruises. The good news is that I’m going to learn from these lessons.

#5- You might want it but you don’t need it. I inherited our home from my grandparents who were packrats. They survived the Great Depression and thought everything should be kept, because “someday” they might be able to use it again. The house is big and has allowed us to collect things—too many things. Things that we have never used, those items that we have for those “in case” moments.

So 2020 is going to be the year of culling.

#4- Don’t let fear stop you from trying something new. I’m fifty-six so I’m not talking about an extreme sport—hospital stays are very expensive. In the last year, I’ve discovered that I really enjoy writing short stories. Listen, I love to tell a long tale of how a couple falls in love and get their happy ever after but sometimes, it is fun to simply share a little bit. As a writer, it makes me stretch different muscles. To give the reader a hint and then trust them to fill in the rest of the scene. Romance readers know the signs and I trust that with a few words, they will grasp that if I say the man is a “total alpha” that my reader will know that he is a take-charge type and bossy. Writing a short story is like having a conversation with a close friend. I don’t have to fill in the entire back-story, I only have to hit on the high points.

It’s fun and so fulfilling to learn something new. In fact I released two compilations of short stories set in my Novus Pack world, Impressions and Moments.

#3- Giving another a compliment will make you feel better. My Leo tendencies will now make an appearance. Last year I was in a rut. Most of my interactions with others were through the internet and I felt a part of myself withering. I took a part-time job at a local hair salon. At Luminosity, my role is to be the hostess. I chat with clients, fetch drinks, hang coats, and compliment. I listen and look at photos of their ideas for a new look. I hear stories about a special night out or a visit from an old friend. After the stylist is done with the transformation or simple trim, I pour on the praise.

I am amazed at how even the grumpiest customer will smile and stand straighter, and I feel so good after. I use my love of words to describe their new look. They usually giggle and wish me a great day. My goal is that everybody leaves feeling a little better than when they arrived.

Giving a compliment costs me nothing but it gives me so much in return.

#2- Friendships can become toxic. I would describe myself as complex, I have many layers. I also know that not everybody is going to find me delightful. In the last year, I have decided that there are several people that don’t add goodness to my life. There are a myriad of reasons. This isn’t entirely their fault or mine; we have stopped being good for one another.

The tough part is breaking the cycle of acceptance and forgiveness. I have made up so many excuses for hurtful behavior and overlooked some actions and now it is time to stop. I hold no ill will toward these people. I wish them happiness on their journey, but I no longer will be by their side.

#1—Every win is because of hard work. Every good thing that has happened in my writing career can be attributed to hard word and hustle. I have amassed a good team of people with different skills and experience. I ask them for advice often and more importantly when I take their advice, I let them know. If I choose not to follow their recommendations—I thank them for their time. When I sell a book, get a positive e-mail, it is because of the work we put in on my product.

This past summer, I had the opportunity to meet with a baby author, and she was clearly looking for the “golden ticket” to success. I told her that I didn’t know it, and let’s be honest if I did, I wouldn’t give it away for free. Success comes from hard work, making mistakes and learning from them, and luck.

So for 2020—I will keep working, listening, and thanking those around me.

If you enjoy reading romance with a healthy dose of learning life’s lessons, check out my Cameron Farms Trilogy. You Only, Your Always, You Forever. They are available from Amazon and are currently in KU.

You Only is a second chance love story.
You Always is the rare glimpse into the perfect marriage that isn’t so perfect.
You Forever is about the aftermath when the little window shows a plus sign and all of your plans are in disarray.
For the Boxed Set— https://amzn.to/33pui4O

For You Only— https://www.readmelaniejayne.com/you-only.html
For You Always— https://www.readmelaniejayne.com/you-always.html
For You Forever— https://www.readmelaniejayne.com/you-forever.html

To Learn more about my Contemporary Romance and Paranormal Romance
https://www.readmelaniejayne.com/home.html

Contest

To win a $10 Amazon Gift Card, please share what you have learned in 2019.

UPDATE: The winner is…Cindy O!
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I don’t know about you, but I’m enjoying these winter/holiday-themed puzzles!

Win a $5 Amazon gift card! You just have to do two things to qualify…

1. Tell me how long it took to solve the puzzle!
2. Tell a story about what’s happening in this picture!

I have one open contest! It will end on Sunday! So, enter before it closes!

‘Tis the season to be challenged… (Puzzle & Contest)

UPDATE: The winner is…Joy Boutwell!
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Win a $5 Amazon gift card, just for having fun!

Solve the puzzle, and then tell me two things:

1. How long did it take you?
2. What sort of holiday treats do you make this time of year?

Open Contests & Giveaway

These contests and offer are still open! Take advantage while you can!

1. Global Happiness (A Puzzle & a Contest) —Will close Saturday! Win a download of your choice from my backlist!
2. Tell me a holiday story… — Will close Saturday! Win an Amazon gift card!
3. Something or someone is marching along… — Win an Amazon gift card!
4. An early holiday gift from me to you… (FREE Read)

Planning for 2020

December’s actually a little late for me to begin planning what I want to accomplish in 2020. Any other year, I would have begun in November by drawing a mind map to start organizing my thoughts about my biggest priorities.

In fact, until this year, EVERY year, I led a group of authors through building their mind maps and then in December, I conducted a “Write 50 Books a Year” workshop to help them—and me—plan our work for the New Year.

However, this year, I stepped back from my Rose’s Colored Glasses group, needing some time to heal after two years of terrible losses (my grandmother and father). I’ve been a bit aimless as my publishing schedule this year will attest. I lost my ambition and focus.

Now, I’m trying to get back in the groove, so I’m “bribing” myself with new treats to try to encourage some excitement in me. I’ve always planned my work goals on Excel spreadsheets, and I’ll do that again this year, with an emphasis on “realistic”. My integrated plan—life and work—has been an evolving thing. I was a Filofax girl forever and then for several years, a Bullet Journal girl. I don’t have the energy to do the BuJo thing again. So, I bought a very pretty Erin Condren notebook. It’s shiny, rose-gold and pink, has tons of stickers and pretty pages. I spent yesterday assembling it, but then I opened it to January and froze.

I was afraid to commit pen to paper and mar those pretty pages. Or maybe, I was afraid to commit to a schedule because I know I won’t take it seriously…? Perhaps, I need to spend time playing with my Excel worksheets some more. I’m not sure.

However, 2020 has to be better than 2019. I have to be better. So, to you, my friends, any suggestions to help me buckle down and get the work done? What planning system do you use? I’d love to hear your suggestions.

UPDATE: The winner is…Pansy Petal!
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For a chance to win a $5 Amazon gift card…

Tell me your favorite element of this picture, and then tell me the answer to this question: Is the holiday marching toward you or are you marching toward it?