2014 In Review

I got my page proofs done, so today is pretty much going to be a holiday for me. I want to do some housework so I can relax tomorrow and as part of my ongoing goal of getting the house ready to show and sell.

Looking back, 2014 was a really good year for me. I didn't have a new release until the end of the year, but this was my first year that I earned more as a novelist than I did in my best year with a full-time job, even when I take business expenses, health insurance and self-employment taxes into consideration. A lot of that was due to audiobooks, which were very successful for me. And unless things totally tank in a surprising way, next year should be even better, since I'll have the income from one new release, two more books in that series and my major publisher hardcover debut (my first three books were hardcover, but were from a very small press). So, yeah, ten years after getting my career truly started, I'm achieving some success.

I didn't do perhaps as much writing as I would have liked last year, as the one book I finished was started the year before, but I got a book ready for publication and finished a book while also going through a number of rounds of revision, copy edits and page proofs on another book. In 2015 I want to finish the third book of the Fairy Tale series, the second book in the steampunk series and at least one more book to be determined later. That will take a lot more self discipline than I've had lately, especially since I do hope to be moving during the year and have a major publisher release that will require publicity.

I didn't see enough movies to really have a best of the year, but Into the Woods would top the list. My favorite new TV series was Forever.

My reading was down a lot for the year, falling short of my 100-book goal, but a number of the books I read were really, really long. My favorite series discovery was the Rivers of London series by Ben Aaronovitch. My "author new to me" discovery of the year was Sherwood Smith. I started on two of her series, and I still have what seems to be her major one waiting for me. That will likely be my January reading. It's hard to say what my favorite book of the year was. When I look back at my reading log, there's no one book that jumps out at me in an obvious way.

In addition to finances, I guess this was a pretty good year in general. I seem to have got over my singing in public stage fright (I hope it hasn't redeveloped, as long as I've gone without solo or ensemble work). I had no major health issues. I took my first real vacation in forever.

For next year, I could stand to be more fit. I hope that moving will help me with organization by giving me a fresh start and a clean slate. I can make sure everything has a place to start with and try to create new habits to put things in those places. And I need to spend more time writing, as always.