Yep, it’s that time of year again. The moment when I look back and take stock of what I did or didn’t manage to accomplish during the last 365 days. (It’s less than that, I know, but with Christmas and Residual Haunting posts I need to toss this post up sooner rather than later. Because my all-time favorite post is the one where I decide what I’m going to get done in 2015 and stuff.)
So … here are the things I said I wanted to get done in 2014 …
#1) Graduate.
Big check-mark there! Back in May I graduated from Northwest Nazarene University with my BA in Christian Ministry.
#2) Submit Persona to the ABNA contest in January.
Another big check-mark. I didn’t win, but they did send me an invitation to Kindle Scout, which I haven’t decided on yet.
#3) Implement edits from developmental editor (Yay, Gabriel Fitzpatrick!) on Tapped.
In spite of an epic failure coring an avocado that left me one-handed for several months I did manage to implement not only the edits from Gabriel Fitzpatrick, but suggestions from my Beta readers as well. Check, check, and check!
#4) Finish Residual Haunting.
Residual Haunting is almost finished. It is currently being posted as a serial novel on Wattpad and is updated every Wednesday morning. I’m going to put this one down as half a check-mark. (PSST. Wattpad means you can read the current chapters for free! Go check out my creepy sci-fi/horror thing!)
#5) Revamp the synopsis and query letters for the revised Tapped novel. And then Send. Out. Those. Queries.
Check. I did this. And then I decided I wanted to self-publish Tapped (and its entire series) because it gives me more creative freedom.
#6) Revise Persona and start formatting it for publication.
…. Um … nope. Due to the unforeseen incident with the avocado from Hades I spent most of my working time focused on revising Tapped. It was excruciatingly slow work given that I had two fingers I could not feel during the months of May through October.
#7) Participate in NaNoWriMo again.
I totally participated. And I totally lost. Again. I should give myself a negative check-mark for losing.
Is there such a thing as a negative check-mark?
#8) On December 2, 2014 Persona will be released as my first self-published novel.
………… Needless to say, this did not happen. Production on Persona was pushed back. It’s new publication date is set for April 2015. However, I will be sending this in to agents and traditional publishing houses first (as per my arbitrary agreement with myself for all my work) so that date might be pushed back again depending on what sort of response I get.
#9) I would really, really, really like it if I could climb a mountain.
I climbed through a canyon. It wasn’t a mountain, but it was climbing. Half a check-mark.
#10) If I can swing it, I would love to be a Secret Santa for someone next year. I’ve had one this year and it has been wonderful fun.
Check-mark.
So! I did relatively well in 2014. Bring on 2015!
AJMaguire 