Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you had a wonderful New Year’s celebration and are excited about what’s to come in 2023. I had a quiet evening at home with my family, but in the past week in particular, I’ve put a great deal of thought into what I want to accomplish this year.
Publishing Highlights from 2022
I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t disappointed in my publishing history in 2022. Though I had multiple titles on track to self-publish in 2022, that did not happen, and a series on working as a travel freelancer did not happen, either.
I had planned on ending the year on a high note, with publications occurring in the fall and winter, with a publishing celebration to follow at Christmas. But because of an experience I had in the fall, I found myself struggling with my mental health and an on-and-off terrible flu. While I kept writing, I knew I needed to prioritize my health and push the publishing dates back.
That being said, the year was not completely unsuccessful! Though I didn’t publish any books, I produced hundreds of news articles, and I wrote the most book reviews I have in the last few years, which was a refreshing change.
What To Expect in 2023
At the beginning of 2023, I’m going to finish what I started in 2022, followed by a lot more. In addition to continuing to write news articles, I’ll be focusing at the start of the new year on writing regularly on here and Medium, and also publishing my first short horror story collection, What We Find the Dark, and a companion novella, Black As Black.
During the rest of the year, I’ll be focusing on finalizing and publishing my first novel, This Is Where I Leave You, and my first full-length poetry collection, Shopping for T-Rex.
On top of all of that, I’m launching two literary magazines: Lit Shark, which is for all ages and publishing backgrounds, and also Banned Book Review, which will focus on reviewing and covering the news surrounding banned books.
It’s a big year, and I appreciate how much work it’s going to be. But I’m immensely excited about the writing I’m going to do, publishing my own work, sharing it with the world, and contributing these meaningful magazines to the literary community.
My Word of the Year for 2023
I love picking a Word of the Year and ironically did not pick one in 2021 or 2022. And I chose “Hope” in 2020—and we all know how that year turned out.
I wanted to pick a word that reminded me not only of what I want to experience by the end of the year but also a word that reminded me that this experience is in my control. If I want to experience success, I have to do what’s in my control to become successful, like sticking with my writing and publishing schedule for the year.
So, with all of that in mind, my Word for 2023 is Secure. I not only want to feel secure (security, stability, etc.), but I want to secure the future I’ve always wanted—and I’m going to do everything in my control to do just that.
Thank you for reading!
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