New Year! New Plans!
In this issue: Grappling my Goals and my Q1 Project Progress Predictions, plus flirty Fiction Flings I can’t wait to read.
Newsletter Send Date: Friday, Dec 29, 2023
Hey Dragonlings!
I’ve spent the past couple of months preparing for 2024, making all these big plans, annnd… setting myself up for failure.
You see, I have been a big proponent of following Sarra Cannon of Heart Breathings’ method of making ‘Good/Better/Best Goals’, and then I didn’t do that. I created all these goals for myself with no plan for what might happen if a new shiny idea caught my eye or Murphy decided to take his revenge upon my aspirational audaciousness and everything that could go wrong would do so.
It’s near the middle of winter here in Montana, which means we’re about to see a motherlode of bad weather (probably), more 4H events (already scheduled and started), and winter sports (we’ve missed deadlines for a couple and are working toward others). On top of that, mid-January, my work schedule is changing. I’ve been working 4 AM-2 PM shifts at work, but I’m transferring to the clinic from the hospital mid-month, and with that transfer, my work schedule is going to become a Monday-Friday 6 PM-2 AM shift. This will make some things easier and other things harder. Either way, life is about to get BUSY! As if it wasn’t already.
Which means I won’t have time to work on everything I wanted to do. Everyone talks about making resolutions for the new year, but most make the mistake of creating unobtainable goals, and I almost activated the same trap card.
One of the things I’ve done that will hopefully fix that is pared down my 2024 goals, given myself some Good, Better, and Best options to reach for and am breaking those goals down into more bite-size manageable chunks each quarter and again each month.
Here are my goals for writing and publishing for 2024, but if you’re interested in learning about all my 2024 goals in greater detail, I’ve got a YouTube video you can watch explaining how 2023 went and what I intend to do for 2024 called: “Reflecting on 2023 and Planning on 2024“.
There’s going to be lots of changes come this upcoming year. Less new writing. More re-writing and editing. Less live streams. More videos. Less stress. More sleep. Less doom scrolling. More gaming and family time.
I’m determined to make 2024 a good, productive year, and find that mythical, magical work-life balance.
2024 Armature—Project Projections
Paring down my projects was probably a smart move if I want a better work-life balance, but what does that mean I’ll be working on this month? Just because I’ve pared my goals down doesn’t mean I don’t have a lot I want to accomplish, so here’s what my plans are for January and what projects I’ll be working on…
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Shifters & Mages
This series is the main project I want to work on this year. If nothing else gets done, this one needs to. Why? December 3, 2014 was the original publication date for Puck’s Choice, which was the first book of the series, ten years ago. I want to get it back out by that date 2024 for a 10-year anniversary release.
I’m still working on Hunter’s Betrayal, which can’t decide if it wants to be book one or three of the series. In the meantime, Jenna’s Story is with a professional editor and Puck’s Choice is edited, formatted, and ready to go. One of the things I’m working on is finding a cover artist for the series. I can’t currently afford the cover artist I would love to use, but there are a couple others whose work I love that are more affordable, so this is currently where I stand.
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Damned and Dangerous Quartet
The secondary focus of 2024, I am still working on the third book of the series, Damned and Deadly. I re-wrote it in 2023 only to realize some of the events in the book needed to happen in the final book of the series, and I need to make what was the midpoint the finale. That means it needs an entire re-write. Not the first time that’s happened. I have covers for the final two books of the series. It’s just a matter of writing them and getting them out. Fingers crossed at least one will come out in 2024.
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Sultry Solstices
In 2021, I wrote and published a short story called “Presumed Dead” in the Summer Solstice Seduction paranormal romance anthology. The anthology is no longer available as it was on a short exclusive run, so I want to republish the story. I also want to explore the world a bit more and write stories about Tara’s two sisters, so I’d like to write two more short stories, each one exploring the relationships of the sisters and their partners. I’m looking forward to it. I think I have a cover artist picked out for this series, but I’ll need to confirm some things, and I want the final two stories written before I tackle that task. Still, I’m looking forward to diving into that world again.
Skye’s TBR
It’s no secret I read a lot of books. In 2023, I read 100+ books, and with the job/schedule change, there’s a possibility I’ll double that number with the existence of audiobooks to read. And I’ll never run short of e-books to read thanks to the Stuff Your E-Reader Event that ran last year. I ended up getting over a hundred books during the event despite Amazon continuously crashing and telling me I should try again later.
BLURB:
Telise has survived on her own by being the quickest, the smartest, and the deadliest. But even to her friends, she’s always been a little… Strange. She’s spent her life seeking something that other humans simply can’t offer her, and it’s not until she tries to rob two trollkin that she realizes what it is she’s after.
Raz’jin the troll has only ever wanted money—oh, and the occasional casual lay. But when he finds himself with a dagger at his throat, at the mercy of a red-headed human woman… He discovers a new and very unexpected desire in himself.
Telise and Raz’jin are both haunted by the memory of their meeting, even if such a relationship would be the ultimate taboo. Their peoples are at war, and they can’t even speak the same language. But when they meet in a bar in neutral territory, perhaps their bodies can do the talking for them.
BLURB:
The Chosen One is dead.
Only his sister can take his place.
Disabled since childhood, Elenor was content to live in her brother’s shadow, besting her cousins at cards and sneaking her girlfriend into her room at night. Now she’s next in line for the throne and beset on all sides by factions out for blood. With time ticking down until someone manages to kill her too, Elenor will be forced to choose between accepting her father’s despotic rule or risking everything for her late brother’s lofty ideals.
Meanwhile, from the rainy streets of Lirin to the scorching dunes of the Mondaer Desert, the death of the Chosen One has inadvertently broken a chain of events five centuries in the making. Ancient forces move in the shadows, calling in debts and striking deals. A monster with a thousand faces fingers his knife, ready to kill, and a pair of fugitives run for their lives, unaware of the danger they carry with them.
Filled with intrigue, romance, and an adorable baby dragon, this own-voices Gaslamp Epic Fantasy puts a disabled, lgbtq+ protagonist front and center.
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Publication Progress...
The really big goal I set for myself is something that has been a long time coming—I have a series of publish dates set for the second half of 2024! Short stories! Novellas! The Works! All cumulating in the Re-Release of something super sentimental to me—my complete Shifters & Mages Series!
As I mentioned earlier, my first traditionally published work was Puck’s Choice, and this year will be it’s 10-year anniversary. So to celebrate (both personally and professionally) I set the goal of publishing the whole series in the 4th quarter.
On a personal note, once I realized that 2024 was a milestone for that book, I realized it is a milestone for my career too, and I knew what I was going to do for 2024 in my gut.
I have 10 years of dreams, learning, plans, and most importantly *writing* invested in literally hundreds of stories in one way or another, and now I’m ready to enter a new decade with a new goal: PUBLISHING!
All this year I will be giving all you dragonlings exclusive looks into my writing, with some extra special insights and teasers for my 2024 publications.
For now though, my extra special insight is that I am both exhilarated and terrified (imposter syndrome anyone?) to step into this next decade of my career with you all, and though it’s gonna be a windy ride, it’s gonna be a flight to remember!
May the wind find your wings strong and scales shiny!
I wish you all a fantastic 2024.
🎉READER EXCLUSIVE ALERT!🎉
The story of Jesse St. George continues!
I have for you my friends and subscribers the latest chapter of my growing heroine the dragon slayer is available to ONLY MY SUBSCRIBERS! If you’re new to the newsletter and want to start this dragon slaying story from the beginning, check out the Jessie St George page! ( Password = JESSE )
💡Please note this is an unedited chapter of Jessie Saint George, Teenage Dragon Slayer (Title subject to change), an urban fantasy, and may contain typos. Please be aware some parts of the story may change between now and publication as well.
Chapter 4
The next morning, when Jessie picked up Kimberlee for classes, she told her all about the events from the night before. Kimberlee’s lip curled in disgust. “Ugh,” she said. “I remember Jonathan. He’s a pig. Please, please, please tell me that’s not who your family hopes you’ll marry.”
“God, I hope not,” Jessie said, a foul taste entering her mouth. She thought about it though, and her stomach twisted in knots. “It wouldn’t surprise me if he is though. He’s only three years older than me, and his family is a prestigious one in the DSS.”
Kimberlee made a gagging noise in her throat. “Ew. The guy’s a creep.”
Jessie knew better than she’d ever admitted to anyone, even Kimberlee. She’d known Jonathan forever and a day, and she remembered the first time he’d shown interest in her.
At the time, she hadn’t thought much about it, but looking back, it made her want to puke.
Before her dad died, she hadn’t ever been around Jonathan without others present. It was another thing she hadn’t thought about much until she’d been older, but now she couldn’t help but wonder if her father had done that on purpose.
As soon as her dad died though, it seemed Jonathan was everywhere, and she couldn’t escape him, no matter how she tried. She’d been so distraught with her father’s passing, she hadn’t minded the company at first.
She’d welcomed the hugs, the lingering touches, the small kisses atop her head. It had felt nice to be wanted, to have someone tell her everything would be alright.
She’d been fifteen the first time Jonathan tried to kiss her.
Everyone in her household was still grieving her father’s death in their own way. Lynette and Bobbie each had others they could lean on, but Jessie didn’t have anyone outside of them, and she desperately wanted someone to talk to and celebrate her birthday with. Despite the gnawing feeling in her belly, she called Jonathan and asked if he could come watch movies with her. It had been three months since her father’s death and her mom and sister were both busy with work. They’d made plans to celebrate her birthday when they got home, but Jessie was alone in the meantime and hating it.
It took Jonathan less than an hour to show up at Jessie’s house. He’d sat with her for two movies and she’d cried and lamented about the times she and her father watched specific movies on her birthday.
He’d slid closer to her and wrapped her in a hug. She’d taken comfort in his embrace at first, but then he’d shifted his body, covering hers with his and he’d kissed her.
There’d been no talking before it, nothing she could think of that had led to it. She didn’t even like Jonathan in a way that warranted kissing.
She froze, unsure what to do. She didn’t want him kissing her, didn’t want to kiss him back. When his tongue had slid over her lips, demanding entrance, she shoved him away.
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