Or maybe it makes more sense to say “New year, new approach”? I hadn’t realized how much time had slipped by since I updated my blog, but it’s been six months, which is not too good. Especially since I released a book during those six months. My deepest apologies to Mrs. Brodie’s Academy for Exceptional Young Ladies.

What happened over the last six months? Well, I’ve been triaging. I have chronic health issues that limit my time and energy. Unfortunately, over the last year, the problems have gotten more severe. If I only have the ability to update one site, I’ve chosen to post news on Facebook (I now have a readers’ group as well as an author page) rather than here on the blog. It’s easier to interact with readers on Facebook. Talking with readers, to put it in Marie Kondo terms, sparks a lot of joy for me.

But I do want my website to be the ultimate source for news on my books, which means I need to do more with it. Which also means I have to be smarter about how I work, since I’m unable to work more.

I’m trying out some methods to help me be more mindful of how I spend time. Tracking my reading. Chunking projects rather than working for tiny pieces of time. Getting help with graphics. Creating more detailed plans for my works-in-progress.

In a lot of ways, I suspect the year itself will be a work in progress.

Regardless, I’ll keep you all posted, and in several different ways:

  • For of-the-moment news like sales, follow me on social media. I’m mainly on Facebook and Twitter, though I do hop over to Pinterest to make boards for each of my books. And if you follow me on BookBub, you’ll get alerted to sales and new releases, as well as recommendations of books I’ve loved.
  • For big news like new releases or a whole flock of sales all at once, be sure you’re subscribed to my newsletter. Subscribers get exclusive excerpts, trivia, and giveaways. Just sayin’. 🙂
  • And here on my blog, I’ll post about bigger picture stuff. What’s in the works, whether any plans are changing, all that good stuff. I don’t want to overcommit, so let’s say once a month. How’s that?

Ta da! That’s the goal and a plan. And here’s the big picture news as of today.

My final Royal Rewards novel–Lady Notoriousis coming out next month, on February 26. This is the love story of Cass and George, both of whom appeared in the previous book in the series, Lady Rogue. I’m very happy with how their story turned out; they strike sparks on the page as they solve a murder mystery and fall in love.

But since I’m being frank, I’ll admit: I’ve never had a harder time writing a book. I didn’t feel well the whole time I worked on it, and I had to ask my saintly editor for an extension on the deadline. (She really is a saint, and I love her, and I hope her fondness for Lady Notorious means readers will love it too.)

It’s become clear to me that I can’t keep working at the pace I was attempting, but I’m not sure what that will mean going forward. For 2019, you might not notice any difference at all! I have two novella projects lined up for this year–a duo with the wonderful Grace Burrowes in June and an anthology in October with some of my other dear writer friends. In late spring, I might be putting out a box set of previously published novellas, to give you all a chance to grab these stories at a discount.

Another project, His Wayward Bride, is taking a while as I began a major rewrite at the end of last year. The new direction is working well, but I don’t want to promise a specific release date yet. It’ll be this year, I’m 99% sure…but saying 100% seems like tempting fate!

So, that’s what’s up with me. How are things with you?