Another Year Begins

2014 was a year of milestones for me, good, bad and just different. It was a very slow year for writing, but that's partially because life got in the way. So here are a few of the highlights:

• It was a year for conventions: I attended, spoke and signed at 6: ConFusion, Pandoracon, DetCon1, Romantic Times Booklovers Convention (loved New Orleans!) Steamtopia and Steampunk Empire Symposium. Whew!
• I published my 50th (and my 49th, 51st and 52nd) pieces of fiction, including my 19th full-length novel, Sea Change.
• Steam and Sorcery FINALLY released in print.
• We welcomed new daughter-in-law Krista into the family and had a fantastic wedding with family and friends.
• Our extended family  moved to a lovely little house built in 1870, just a couple blocks from my office space in downtown Howell.
• Celebrated my Father's 90th birthday at a picnic filled with family and friends.
• Celebrated my granddaughter Percy's second.
• Made new friends and reconnected with a few we hadn't seen in a while. Met my cousin Cliff Spencer for the first time and saw some others for the first time in a while.

So what are my resolutions? I never make those, it's like asking to jinx yourself. But every year, I do make something of a to-do list, and each year I add an item. So here are my 15 to-do's for 2015:

1. Make at least one new friend
2. Reconnect with at least one old friend
3. Go somewhere I've never been
4. Revisit somewhere I haven't been in a long time
5. Try at least one new food type
6. Learn at least one new skill
7. Attempt at least one new physical activity
8. Write at least one story that is outside my comfort zone
9. Listen to at least one new musical group
10. Find at least one new way to help others
11. Take care of at least one health issue I've been ignoring. (These are little things, folks, not stuff to worry about, like that annoying callus on my big toe or getting new glasses! I promise, I'm in overall good shape!)
12. Try at least one fashion I didn't think I could wear
13. Do at least one thing I don't want to do, but my husband does
14. Submit to at least one new publisher
15. Read at least one new author

I think these are pretty do-able goals. So far, since I started this in 2005, I've pulled most of them off. We'll see how this year goes!