I
love this time of year! It’s a time of new beginnings and fresh starts. No
matter what you've done up until now, you can start over with a positive energy
and hope for all the possibilities the brand new year brings.
Every
year around this time, I begin planning for the next year. I start to think
about what I’d like to do differently when the calendar year flips over, and I
take stock of the past year, examining what worked and what didn't. I begin to
make my lists. I dream big and I dream small. I broad-brush my goals, then I go
back in and paint in the details by making sub-lists under those bigger topics.
After I've finished my plans, I post these goals on my office wall--yes, on an easel-sized post-it note to myself. So that all year long I can check off my
progress. Usually, by the time June hits, I’m ready to re-evaluate my yearly
goals, update and make new lists. Last year I found that by June, I’d
accomplished everything I’d set out to accomplish for the year. So I had to
plan again. Now, looking back at the list I had for myself in June, I've also
accomplished the majority of those tasks and met those goals. It feels good to
see a physical “track record” ... and to know that all the time and energy and
sweat I exerted really did pay off in big and small ways for me.
One
of those payoffs for me this year debuts later this week. My contemporary
romance, Essence, will be released on
January 2, 2014 by Soul Mate Publishing. As you can imagine, I’m a little
excited and a lot nervous. I have published a few Indie titles myself, but this
is the first book of mine that a publisher has picked up. And it’s my first
contemporary romance. The journey has been a good one. I've loved working with
SMP. And I think this is a good next step for me. Okay, so I’ll squee now! All
right, all right. Maybe not. I’ll wait until the pub day to do that because my
control freak side worries about everything that can go wrong between now and
then. Even though I really know better. It’s going to be fine.
So
I’ll go back to focusing on my lists for a few more days, hammering out all
those fun and exciting things I want to explore this year and the number of
ways I hope to develop my writing career. Then, come January 2nd, I’ll
add learning the ins and outs of marketing a book to my daily and weekly
writing routine.
Yes,
one of my big goals this year is to figure out how to promote a book
effectively. I've already begun to promote Essence and will start a blog tour
January 27th to get my name out there, and hopefully sell a few more
books in the process. I’d love to see you on the virtual road! Check out my
website http://www.mackenzielucas.com
for details on the full line-up of my blog tour toward the end of January.
So
what do you do at this time of year? Do you set New Year’s Resolutions? Do you
set personal goals for yourself? Do you re-evaluate and take stock of where
you’ve been and where you’d like to go? I’d love to hear what you’ve found
successful or helpful over the years & if you have one or two goals you’ve
set for yourself, shout them out! It always motivates others to know those
around them are reaching for the next rung on the ladder or the stars.
Buy
your copy of Essence starting January 2, 2014 at amazon.com and be sure to tell
me what you think in a review on Amazon & at Goodreads. All my Indie published titles are currently
available at http://www.amazon.com/Mackenzie-Lucas/e/B00DTEW6NS/ref=ntt_dp_epwbk_0. To find me on the web, go to
http://www.mackenzielucas.com. If you’re on Facebook, look
me up at: MackenzieLucasFanPage or on Twitter at: @MacLucas_writer.
Book
Giveaway:
Readers
who comment on today’s blog by sharing one of their goals for the new year will
be entered into a drawing for a free copy of Essence.
$50
Spa eGift Card Giveaway:
And
two lucky followers who LIKE my Facebook page MackenzieLucasFanPage between today and January 15 will each win a $50 SpaWish eGift
card.
So come on, let’s play! Comment, like,
and share. It’s always fun to have as many participants as possible in these
contests. As Misha says, join in my reindeer games. It’ll be fun!
Happy New Year and happy goal setting. Let's see what we can do in 2014!
More about Essence. More about Soul Mate Publishing.
