I don’t really do New Year’s resolutions because nobody sticks to them. The most obvious example is the throngs of people who will show up at my gym over the next six weeks. They will promptly disappear about mid-February. Happens every year.

Why make a promise on an artificial day of the year?

There are a couple of things I WILL complete in 2018.

1. My third book – The Connection – will be published some time in 2018. Given it was really my first book and thus I’m working from a completed first draft, publishing it this coming year should not be a stretch. What excites me is how the book starts off with a bang. Probably my best beginning (first few chapters), even though its my first book. The Connection takes place in a small West Texas town, has a bit of a science-fiction flavor, but also sticks to the writing and twists-and-turn style of my first two books.
2. First draft of my fourth book. Untitled. This one will be a departure, and it has something to do with weather. The setting is the Texas coast, so that should tell you something. 🙂 It will certainly be an emotional book and there will be a twist or two, but I expect it to be more straightforward than the others. Its all sitting in my head right now. Just need to put it on “paper.”
3. Determine where to go from there: I have a strategic decision to make by the end of 2018. Should I continue to self-publish or go for a bigger bang with an agent and publisher…or simply stop writing and do my photography? The problem isn’t story ideas…I have dozens of them swirling around. The problem is building and sustaining an audience. Can I do that through self-publishing or am I good enough (lucky enough) to get noticed by an agent/publishing house? Or should I spend my time on other ventures?

For my photography, I’m not sure where it will lead. I’ll be in another critique class with a bunch of talented folks, and I’m signed up (thanks to my spouse) for another National Park photography class. I’ll certainly work harder to set-up my shots and find some unique challenges.

So hello 2018!!!