A Look Back at 2016

This is my final post of this year and I thought I'd take a moment to look back at where 2016 has brought me as an author. This year has brought a shift for me as an author from someone who writes as a hobby to someone who is pursuing writing as a career. I don't know if I'll ever be a published author - many people try and fail - but I feel like I'm on a path to give me the best opportunity right now.

January saw the publication of Resolution Room, the first book in my new Holliday Hotel series. I have to admit that I have loved this book. I love Carol Holliday and I am looking forward to seeing what happens at her bed-and-breakfast next. This book talked about pushing ahead of God's timing, which I fear that I do too often. When we wait on Him, though, things line up the way they ought to, and I'm always surprised at how easily things fall into place.

I started an author's page on Facebook at the beginning of this year. It's been an interesting learning experience for me and I'm still developing as I explore this more. I've enjoyed the more personal contact with my readers. I look forward to utilizing this page better in the future.

Another big step for me was joining American Christian Fiction Writers. This group helps writers to develop their skills through courses, peer review, conferences, and more. I've done a couple of the email courses, but haven't utilized it as much as I should. I'm hoping to be more actively involved next year.

I also signed up with Westbow Press to publish Resolution Room in a physical format. This was an interesting experience for me. The time it took to prepare it for this put me behind schedule in some ways which has been frustrating. However, holding my book in my hand was an awesome experience.

There's something special about seeing and holding your work in your hands. To turn the pages and see your name in print is amazing. The best part is that I really felt like God was directing me in this direction. I've learned a lot from the process and can't wait to see what this leads to in the future.

Part of this process led me to sign with Merge Left Marketing to help me figure out the best way to advertise for my books better. They will be designing a website and logo for me to start with. I really like my team and I think this will be a huge step for me.

Finally, I was able to publish a new Christmas novella. This was a difficult one for me to write, but I was happy with the final outcome. I also figured out how to do Amazon giveaways and was able to set one up for this book. It was fun to do and I think I'll probably do more in the future.

I only had two goals this year: to publish Resolution Room and to write a Christmas novella. I accomplished both of those goals, plus way more than I expected! I can only praise God for the extra blessings, because I know they're from Him.

Coming up in 2017, I can't wait to unveil the new website and logo that Merge Left Marketing will do for me. I'm hoping to publish the second book of the Holliday Hotel series in February. I'm pretty far behind on it right now because of publishing Resolution Room in print. I'm hoping for another Christmas novella this year and possibly something else - if I have time. God's really been moving me out of my comfort zone and it's been an interesting year for me. I look forward to where He will lead next year. Happy New Year!