Goodbye 2023, Hello 2024

Today we celebrate the last day of not only December, but the last day of 2023. I know that people don’t always have resolutions, but I do. Even though I didn’t stick with all of mine last year, I am trying it again this year.

My list has gotten longer, too, because of the heart-wrenching change in my life of not having a publisher, but I will keep moving forward and do what needs to be done.

So, without further ado, here is my resolutions for 2024.

2024 New Year Resolutions

1. Go hiking more with family.
2. Do more as a family.
3. Go out with girls more.
4. Do more activities with the girls.
5. Do more at home date nights with Ryan.
6. Go out on more dates with Ryan.
7. Do more self-care. (This is on my list because I am horrible at it. Everyone should be doing this no matter what, so I hope I can keep up with it. I hope you all keep up with your own self-care this year, too.)
8. Play with Miss Scarlett and Bonnie more. (Miss Scarlett and Bonnie are our new pets, Regal Jumping Spiders. They are amazing and we love them. Even our girls love holding them.)
9. Journal more.
10. Get back into writing my dreams and nightmares. (I get a lot of my writing ideas from this. I haven’t done it in so long, sadly I can’t remember my dreams or nightmares. So, I need to start writing them do so I can get more fun ideas.)
11. Facetime with my parents more. (This is a no brainer, but everyone needs a reminder from time to time.)
12. Visit Tom and Carolyn more.
13. Diet. (I am not happy with how much weight I have gained and I need to do something to lose it and fall back in love with me and my body.)
14. Cook healthier foods.
15. Workout with the switch dancing game more.
16. Workout on the bike more.
17. Lose weight- 115 lbs.
18. Delete Yes.Fit account. (I loved getting the medals and all, but I think I’m done with this website, sadly.)
19. Write more letters to friends.
20. Read more. (I definitely need to read more. I need to set a goal for each month for reading a book or two and work up from there.)
21. Read more about self-publishing.
22. Write more book review blogs.
23. Write more fiction blogs.
24. Write more nonfiction blogs.
25. Write more review blogs.
26. Edit Azriel High.
27. Finish writing Wildflowers. (This is the book I started for NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month in November, but then another book idea took over and I started writing that one. It’s my first cozy paranormal mystery.)
28. Finish writing Untitled. (Right now, the cozy is Untitled, but that’ll change hopefully soon.)
29. Outline the next book in series for Untitled. (I am usually a Plantser, meaning I do minimal outlining and then just jump in, but for these, I have my own way of outlining and enjoy it.)
30. Give a copy of Backlash to Carolyn.
31. Give a copy of Backlash to Kristen in February for editing.
32. Make changes to Backlash.
33. Send Backlash to Killer Nashville contest. (This contest is to hopefully get your book published. I’d like to give it a shot before I either try to find a literary agent and/or publisher, or jump into self-publishing it.)
34. Write for magazines. (I mean I’m going to try. What do I have to lose?)
35. Enter more contests. (Again, what do I have to lose?)
36. Research more about Amazon Kindle Vella.
37. Write stories for Amazon Kindle Vella.
38. Post to Amazon Kindle Vella.
39. Continue to post on Amazon Kindle Vella.
40. Create an author’s website. (I still haven’t made one because I get overwhelmed with the idea, but I do want one. So, 2024 I will make myself one with the help of my husband or someone else.)
41. Create an email to send out. (I never had one, but I do know the benefits of having one.)
42. Research other writing programs, especially for formatting.
43. Make a list of what I need for self-publishing.
44. Get an LLC. (I have the name picked out and looked it up. The name was used but it was closed so it’s available. I just have to figure out the step I need to take to get myself an LLC.)
45. Get whatever needed for self-publishing.
46. Figure out who to self-publish through. (I know about Amazon, but I want my books available on other websites, not just Amazon. So, more research.)
47. Self-publish Pahulu Hale.
48. Find a children’s illustrator for Roodi to the Rescue.
49. Self-publish Roodi to the Rescue.
50. Find Dark Roast. (I have most of my started stories in the closet, but this one has vanished. So, I need to try and find it again.)
51. Finish writing Dark Roast if found. If not, start it over.
52. Hire Sarah to edit Azriel High. (I will do this after I have self-edited it several times of course.)
53. Self-publish Azriel High.
54. Type up and edit while typing up The Fairy’s Daughter. (I wrote this several years ago, so I know it needs a lot of work on it.)
55. Self-publish my children’s books.
56. Self-publish Cara’s books.
57. Self-publish Kierra’s books.
58. Go to the coffee shop and work there more.
59. Look at other story ideas and pick one to write until done. (I won’t lie, I do have a problem with starting and not finishing projects. So, this is the year I will stick with one project until I am done, starting with Untitled and then Wildflowers.)
60. Fill out my calendars and follow them.
61. Follow this.

So again, I say goodbye to you, 2023, with all of the good times, chaos, and everything else you have brought. 2024, I hope you bring us more joy, new adventures, and love that never ends.

I hope to become a new self and author this new year. I hope my girls have the best new year, continue to work hard in school, and enjoy more fun with myself and my husband. I hope 2024 brings more family and friend time. Maybe even more traveling time for us as a family.

I hope 2024 is better than last.