New Year Goals and Lunar New Year by Tena Stetler

 Well, did you survive the holidays?  Seems like we were just putting up decorations in time to take them down, and I decorate from September (Halloween) to New Years. Isn’t it sad how it’s not much fun to take the decorations down as putting them up? But I digress. Though most of January is gone, let’s talk about New Year’s Resolutions or what I call goals.

I met most of 2022 goals, despite a few health issues. Good for me! 

Fast forward to 2023 goals. Word count goals easy peasy now that my muse has returned. I have two more books in the pipeline this year, first book in Mountain Town Mysteries, Security Force of Two (March 20^th release), Raven’s Hollow Spring Magic, in edits as we speak. I’m working on the second book in Mountain Town Mysteries Series, and hope to finish the sequel to Mystic Maples this year.

More hiking is in my future, now that I can walk again without pain (hip was replaced in Oct 2022). Along with that regular exercise is on the agenda and eating healthy, at least most the time. I’ll never give up pizza or chocolate. LOL   

Make more time for friends, participate in book signings, enjoy quality time with my husband, dog, parrot, and turtle. Lots of Camping! All these things lead to a happier me!

Now how about you?  Any New Year’s Resolutions or goals you want to share?  I'd love to hear 'em. Leave them in the comments.

Now lets switch gears for just a moment. I discovered that today my birthday, January 22, fell on the Lunar New Year this year. Sounds like another reason to celebrate. LOL I had to investigate and share with you.

Lunar New Year, also known as the Chinese New Year or the Spring Festival, falls on Jan. 22 this year, when Asian communities around the world will say goodbye to the Year of the Tiger and usher in the Year of the Rabbit. The Chinese new year is predicted to be optimistic. Let’s hope they’re right.

 Though New Year celebrations often start the weekend before and can continue for weeks after, only the first 15 days are considered public holidays. Gee I wonder if I can celebrate my birthday for 15 days?

The Lantern Festival is held on the first full moon of the year to mark the end of the New Year season. In 2023, it lands on Feb. 5.

What animal is being celebrated this year?

The year 2023 in the Gregorian calendar is designated the Year of the Rabbit. The rabbit is the fourth animal in the Chinese zodiac and symbolizes grace, beauty, mercy and good luck. Rabbits are also associated with the moon, because of the mythical Jade Rabbit who lives there. 

People born in the Year of the Rabbit are said to be peaceful, avoiding arguments, criticism and change. 

Famous people born in the Year of the Rabbit include Albert Einstein, Angelina Jolie, Michael Jordan, Brad Pitt and Frank Sinatra.

Across Asia, red and gold symbolize good fortune. Many people wear red during Lunar New Year, and children often receive red envelopes stuffed with money. Families will hold feasts, clean their homes and visit shrines to honor deceased relatives.

But different communities have distinct ways of ringing in the new year: In Korea, the first day of the Chinese lunisolar calendar is Seollal, when families exchange gifts and dine on rice cake soup and savory pancakes. Yum!

According to my nail tech, Kellie, in Vietnam, where Lunar New Year is called Tết, Jan. 22 is actually the start of the Year of the Cat. Participants enjoy special foods like Thịt Kho trứng (braised pork with duck eggs) and decorate yellow apricot blossoms and other plants.

Americans are typically most familiar with Chinese New Year celebrations, with dragon parades, boat races and fireworks. The Lantern Festival at the end of the New Year season includes paper lanterns and treats like tangyuan, a dessert of gooey rice balls.

Could Lunar New Year become a US holiday?

It's a possibility, though not a likely one for the moment. In early 2022, Rep. Grace Meng, a Democrat from New York, sponsored a bill that would have made Lunar New Year the first new federal holiday since President Joe Biden signed a bill recognizing Juneteenth in June 2021. New York City has observed Lunar New Year as an official school holiday since 2015. In September, 2022 California Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill making it a state holiday "I am immensely proud of the richness of diversity and backgrounds represented in our state and understand the importance of wanting to see one's own experience reflected in state holidays," Newsom said at the time.  Sounds like a good idea to me.  How about you? 

 I’ll leave you with a feel-good series to fill up your new ipad or tablet about second chances, animal rescue and rehab, paying it forward and love. You guessed it A Witch’s Journey Series. Take a peek and you’ll  be hooked.  Pssst... An Angel's Wylder Assignment is on sale for #99cents. An impromptu assignment for a Scottish Warrior Angel and a Native American shapeshifter from present day, must time travel to 1878 in an effort to unravel a dangerous mystery and creature their future. Happy New Year!

A WITCH'S JOURNEY SERIES. Pssst....Also all available in audio book! https://www.amazon.com/Witchs-Journey-Lobster-Cove-ebook/dp/B01F0LRJ7U/

A Witch's Journey - Former Navy Seal, Lathen Quartz helps Pepper, a powerful witch, achieve her life-long dream of a wild life rescue, but can they save the McKay magic & find love?

A Witch's Holiday Wedding -A small town paranormal romance/mystery. Lathen’s covert military mission threatens life as he knows it. Torn in too many directions will Pepper and Lathen make it to the altar?

Hidden Gypsy Magic - Gwen a wildlife rehabilitor, and Brock a veterinarian, discover the consequences of awakening hidden gypsy magic.

Chocolate Raspberry Magic- Fund-raising, Ice cream social, furry and feathered babies, romance, mystery, and magic what more could you ask for in a paranormal romance/mystery?

This one was a long one, and THANK YOU for staying with me 'til the end. Until next month, stay safe and enjoy life! LOL 

 

On the Road with D. V. Stone or how a full-time author travels and writes.

Happy New Year! We can still say that, right? As I was heading to my winter home in Florida (I’m retired from my paying job) thoughts about what to talk about this month. Then my phone dinged while sitting in a gas station off US 95. My book Felice hit number 5 on Amazon in the Romantic/Fantasy category. Not only did I try to do the happy dance in the truck, but the light bulb went off, and blogging about writing while traveling was born.

Back in 2017, hubby and I began talking about how we would spend our retirement. Going south was definitely in the plan. No more snow and ice. Pete previously slipped on ice and suffered major trauma to his leg, requiring surgery and months in a leg brace. To this day, he walks with a limp.

We have many friends in Florida. Okay, we had a general idea. But how? We couldn’t afford a second home, and we do love Northern New Jersey for the rest of the year.

A camper! That’s the ticket.

But I needed an office.

Okay, a big camper!

That’s what we did. After looking at between 50 and 60 rigs, we settled on 2HOOTs. She has a bunk house that doubles as an office and guest room. 

During our sojourn to the Sunshine State last year, I not only finished Jazz House but also wrote and contracted for Sophia’s Magic Beans (releases 4/10/23). Then I began a multi-author series called The Mortar & Pestle (Sea Hunter releases 3/16/23). So, for me, traveling is conducive to writing.

Over the summer, we continued to travel for research. Maine and Massachusetts are full of naval history, and visiting places is immersive. Talking to people and standing on the shores where so much history happened was amazing. 

 

Here’s my list of what I need to be a traveling author.

1. Internet access. (This is not guaranteed even in campgrounds that claim they have it.) We have one carrier for our phones, so I can hotspot another carrier for the truck. I’ve often been spotted wandering aimlessly around with my phone held high over my head searching. Emails, marketing, and zoom meetings are all a part of my life, and I need the connections.

2. I invested in a lap desk. It was inexpensive and comfortable (I’m using it now.)

3. The ability to focus. Writing is a full-time job for me, and I treat it as such. I get up and get ready like I’m still going to the office.

4. Know when enough is enough. Especially when I’m deep in research or editing, I can forget the time. Having a dog helps. She needs to go for walks, and so do I.

The lifestyle is not for everyone, but I’ve found my place. Inspiration, ideas, and research are around every bend in the road. If you haven’t yet, I hope this year you, too, find your place. If you have, then enjoy it.

What items can you not travel without? Where is your happy place?

What is a Chuchunya? By Marilyn Barr

 When I decided to jump from vampire romance to monster romance, I wanted to start with a cryptid hero. I love reading Kraken, Headless Horseman, and Naga monster romances, but I wasn’t ready to stray too far from the humanoid body-shape…especially since I wanted to raise my spice level to match those popular monster romances on Kindle Unlimited. And don’t get me started on the spider romances. Not Spiderman (although a lady with such spidery-powers stars in a 2023 new release of mine, shh…) but a straight-up spider alien as the hero (If you haven’t read The Spider’s Mate trilogy by Tiffany Roberts, I highly recommend it.)

Of the most renowned cryptids (Bigfoot, Yeti, and Mothman), the Yeti seemed most fitting with my interests. I‘m often teased about my love of winter by my Kentucky friends who freak out when a few flakes fall. Bigfoot and Mothman have very specific legends, which I’m vaguely familiar with from my Appalachian Mountain roots. My plan is to research these characters more when I sign books at the 2023 Rebels & Readers event in Huntington, VW in October of 2023, and write books starring them in later 2023 or 2024.

It would seem I had one choice but to write about the Yeti…until I started researching and found abominable snow monster myths around the world. If you read The Spy Who Loved My Russian Tea Cakes and baked my mother-in-law’s Russian Tea Cake Cookies with the recipe inside (found here - https://www.amazon.com/Loved-Russian-Cakes-Christmas-Cookies-ebook/dp/B09GXDFRWG), you suspect I may have an obsession with my half-Russian husband. To make my monster hero as handsome as possible, making him a Russian Chuchunya was a no-brainer. My heroine needs to travel to Siberia.

A Chuchunya is a primitive cryptid who raids the nomadic people’s camps on the cold, Siberian tundra according to legend. They are giant humanoids, covered with white, ivory, grey, or black fur with glowing blue eyes. There are no myths as to their dwellings, diet, or language capabilities. Where would someone live to endure the harsh northern Siberian climate without building materials? What if their need for concealment meant no collapsible yurts carried in migration on reindeer sleds? I found my answer in the Cold War chapters in history books. Called the dyla khraneniya, Siberians build a network of storage tunnels and caves under the permafrost (https://siberiantimes.com/other/others/features/inside-the-amazing-permafrost-ice-tunnels-built-by-exiled-german-genius-in-cold-war/). 

Add a hot spring or two, and you have the perfect spot to kindle a frozen romance. The more I read about the colored mineral deposits (https://siberiantimes.com/ecology/others/features/is-this-the-most-magical-cave-in-the-world/) and ice crystal formations, the more I fell in love with the idea of living beneath the ice—which my husband promptly vetoed.

I love world-building through culture, so I researched the cultures living in Northern Siberia. As expected, most of the large rituals follow Russian Orthodox traditions. For the Chuchunya, they would follow many of the ancient customs before the integration of the Russian Church with Christianity. This would make sense if the Chuchunya were an ancient offshoot of Homo sapiens who once migrated with the reindeer herding tribes, native to the area. Being loosely connected to the Evenki and Nenet tribes, would also reduce the language barrier between my monster man and modern heroine. If she spoke textbook Russian as an American and he spoke the Evenki dialect without knowledge of the modern world, they would be able to understand half of what the other said. I also found many videos on these tribes to acclimate myself to their daily activities which would mirror those of my Chuchunya clan.

Almost ready to write, there was one more monstrous problem. I write Insta-lust. Why would a modern heroine sign up to live primitively under the ice? Easy, she’s an anthropologist with an Australopithecus obsession. What about him? I didn’t want him to fall head-over-heels just because she’s human. What’s in it for him? In my Strawberry Shifters series, there is a bonding between fated mates which selects the animal of their shifted form. What type of fated bond would a non-shifting Chuchunya need?

Dushevnayasvyaz. (Say that three times fast.) In Russian, dusha loosely means “soul.” Svyaz loosely means “bond,” so the soul bond in Cuddling My Chuchunya is literally soul-bond-bond or dushevnayasvyaz. Contrary to the rumors my husband is spreading, I didn’t invent terms so I could include a glossary at the end of my books (although writing a glossary-worthy fantasy book is on my bucket list, so he’s not telling a total fib.) I wanted to write that instant connection you have when you meet your soulmate, like the one I have with my half-Russian gossip-spreader.

What other attributes does the dushevnayasvyaz give our Chuchunya hero? Find out when you meet Artyom with Dr. Vera in Siberia in Cuddling My Chuchunya. releasing today on Kindle Unlimited for the one-day price of $0.99 cents (regularly $3.99). https://www.amazon.com/Cuddling-My-Chuchunya-Monster-Snuggling-ebook/dp/B0BLCZ7BT7

Here’s the book blurb to find out more:

Her obsession stands before her, not as an extinct Australopithecus, but as a living chuchunya…an abominable snow monster who promises a lifetime of devotion in hiding…

Dr. Vera Thompson

I am one reindeer sleigh ride away from academic notoriety and the corpse excavation which will catapult my career from junior anthropology fellow to tenured professor. Crossing the Siberian tundra is not for the faint of heart but with modern technology like a GPS, cell phone signal, and all-climate winter gear, I’ll reach the suspected Australopithecus body unearthed by the melting permafrost. One more day of dodging methane gas pockets under the ice and my life will change forever…

Artyom

The hairless ones swarmed around my brother’s body like flies from the southern land. Tradition dictates his next of kin perform his last rites, so I follow the erratic driving of the hairless ones from a foreign land. If these invaders discover my chuchunya clan, I fear we are too few to defend our territory under the ice. I don’t understand why the sled driver throws his passenger into a ground popper, but the cruel deed activates my coupling (dushevnayasvyaz) instincts to heat my body to an inferno…the first sign of a soul bond…

Stuck between loyalty to his clan’s secrecy and his biology, will Artyom trade injured Vera for Denis’s body? Will Vera choose modern conveniences in Ohio or stay in Siberia with the chuchunya who promises to cherish her? In such an unforgiving landscape, will Artyom prove his dushevnayasvyaz by pushing her toward an easier life, even if her leaving breaks both their hearts?

Trigger Warnings: This book is for adults with cursing characters, mild violence, and steamy romantic scenes between a consenting human and a monster. To survive while isolated in Siberia, they must eat whatever food is available—whether it is a reindeer companion or not.

Celebrate the release day of Cuddling My Chuchunya with Dr. Vera & Artyom the Snow Monster, on Kindle Unlimited or for the release day special price of $0.99 (https://www.amazon.com/Cuddling-My-Chuchunya-Monster-Snuggling-ebook/dp/B0BLCZ7BT7).

Alien Legacy: The Beginnings By Keri Kruspe

 

At an early age, I got caught up in several theories about man’s origins. During Sunday school I got introduced to the bible stories about the wondrous miracles and magic that happened thousands of years ago. I used to love hearing about men who lived for hundreds of years and how angels visited us. In my mind, they were glorious, winged creatures sent to protect and aid us, as well as to give us guidelines on the right way to live.

And what would happen to us if we didn’t (Sodom and Gomorrah anyone)?

After reading those stories, my only thought was… well, where are they now? How come they left? Are they ever coming back?

As I got older, I came across Chariots of the Gods by Erich von Däniken, which I found fascinating. In that book, he hypothesis that alien astronauts gave ancient civilizations their advanced technologies to build several monolith structures along with astronomical knowledge.

From there I stumbled on the various works by Zecharia Sitchin. In his novels, he states that the ancient Sumerian culture included a race of exterrestrials called the Anunnaki who came from a planet beyond Neptune named Nibru. This planet had an elongated, 3,600-year-long elliptical orbit around the sun. He wrote its estimated they entered our inner solar system around 450,000 years ago, looking for minerals, especially gold. Which they found and mined in Africa.

Sitchin explains how these aliens, the Anunnaki (“those who from heaven to earth came”), came here to replenish their dying atmosphere with gold. One of their leaders, a fellow by the name of Enki (Sumerian god of water and human culture) who suggested a way to relieve the mutinied Anunnaki who revolted against harsh working conditions in the gold mines. To help them out, they took slices of the Homo erectus genome on Earth and combined those genetics with the Anunnaki, thus creating a supposedly dim-witted creature called the primitive workers (Homo sapiens).  

Then there’s the series on the History Channel called Ancient Aliens. That show started in 2009 and is still going strong. One of the episodes in season one was about Däniken’s Chariots of the Gods. That helped to launch and create the popular motif of Ancient Astronaut Theory.

Over the years, Sitchin, Däniken and the Ancient Alien show have been soundly rejected by scientists, academics, and historians. They claim those theories have no basis in truth. All the same, a lot of those same folks agree they can’t be ignored either.

I’ll be honest with you. I don’t really have an opinion about the theory one way or the other. What excited me was the possibility of these ancient astronauts coming back. What would happen if they did? With the planet Nibru having an elliptical orbit of 3,600 years, how would they react if they came back to Earth now that we have over eight billion inhabitants? Would they still need gold for their atmosphere? What would happen if they came here, expecting to “harvest” whatever they wanted from Earth?

That’s when a plot for a new SciFi Romance series percolated in my brain.

Ancient Alien Descendants – The Series

Like with most authors, I took an idea and warped… er… morphed it into my own world. I changed the name of Nibru to Akurn. I kept the elliptical orbit for 3,600 years and made those aliens lifespans tie into the orbit. That makes one year for them around 3,600 years to us.

This made my aliens for all practical purposes... immortal.

To give it some depth, I created their society to have a male-dominated social system. There, the women are considered weaker, both physically and mentally. As a general rule, they considered women were incapable of making important decisions for themselves or others. Their unwavering obedience was expected and enforced. With death if necessary.

I began the series with the prologue (free when you sign up for my newsletter!) called The Day Behind Tomorrow. I created a monarchy where the only legitimate heir to the throne had to be between the king and his “First Queen”. While King Du-Uru could have as many wives or concubines as he wanted, the only legitimate heir was his child with the First Queen. Since their only child was a daughter named Inanna, only she was allowed to inherit the monarchy, but she had to be mated to a male to assume the throne. Because First Queen Asta died (under mysterious circumstances), Inanna’s sadistic father intended to claim her as First Queen to give him a needed male heir.

Which made his first-born son (from a lowly slave) Sub Prince Murduk, furious since he’d previously declared his half-sister as wife to solidify his claim to the throne.

Because I like to write about strong-willed women, Inanna wasn’t about to stick around for either of them. She sneaks down to Earth to avoid a life of enslavement. There she meets the love of her life, a hybrid human/alien called Adapa.

The other thing I wanted different in this story is those with the “superpowers” are the humans, not the aliens. Because of the mixing of the genetic material between them and us, they created human “gods” with strong psychic powers: telekinetic, mind-reading, teleporting, shapeshifting, and empathic manipulation capabilities. Just for fun, I threw in a vampire with all the trappings of being one.

The Final Installment - Alien Legacy: The Mage

Desperate to find Inanna to make her his wife, Sub Prince Murduk (after the unexpected death of King Du-Uru) needs her to assert his position as the new king. He orders unscrupulous scientists to create women as a trap for Inanna’s sons. If he has them, he can threaten their lives to force Inanna back to Akurn. The plan fails when rebels kidnap the young girls as toddlers and hides them from Murduk. 

This last installment of the series is about the eldest son of Inanna and Adapa (he’s the firstborn in a set of boy quintuplets). Raiden is gifted with an extraordinary array of psychic abilities that surpasses even those of his brothers. His powers are so strong that he often worries about losing control and causing harm unintentionally. He struggles to maintain an ironclad control over his powers, never allowing them to slip for one moment. A single mistake could be catastrophic, and the stakes are too high for any hesitation or doubt.

In comes Jazmi, one of those hybrid/alien females whose psychic powers rival Raiden’s. As the eldest of five women, Jazmi vows to resist her genetic programming to protect Raiden and his brothers from the Akurns. She knows that their fate - and the fate of the entire world - hangs in the balance. She’ll do whatever it takes to keep them safe and prevent the Akurns from finding them. With her fierce determination and unbreakable will, Jazmi fights tirelessly to keep them and her loved ones out of harm's way. And the only way to save Earth from the destructive invasion of the Akurns was to work closely with Raiden.

But Jazmi is plagued by her own inner demons. As the weight of the world rests on her shoulders, she knows there isn’t room for personal terrors. As mounting pressures build with each passing moment, she’s confronted with the only way to emerge victorious was to confront her personal fears head on. She’s terrified that’s something she can’t do.

And falling in love was never part of the plan.  

Available now for Preorder for only 0.99!

Release Date - Valentine's Day 💘

Sci-Fi to Watch in 2023! Post by Author Jessica E. Subject

 

Hello everyone! Happy 2023!!!

To start the year, I decided to do a post about all the sci-fi that will be coming to movie and television screens this year. I used to do these at the beginning of every year, but haven't for a few years. For my post this month, I decided to bring that tradition back.

There are many sci-fi movies, shows, and limited series being released in 2023! I know I am going to miss some, but I tried to compile a big list. Many are not only sci-fi, but also horrors, thrillers, animated, romances, and other genres. Some of these are sequels, prequels, remakes, and part of already established worlds. Those will be mentioned separately than the original shows and movies I have found. My list is in alphabetical order, and any links will take you to the official trailer on YouTube. The descriptions for the titles are from IMDB.

65 - An astronaut crash lands on a mysterious planet only to discover he's not alone.

Crater - After the death of his father, a boy growing up on a lunar mining colony takes a trip to explore a legendary crater, along with his four best friends, prior to being permanently relocated to another planet.

Distant - It follows an asteroid miner who, after crash-landing on an alien planet, must make his way across the harsh terrain, running out of oxygen, hunted by strange creatures, to the only other survivor.

Elemental - Follows Ember and Wade, in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together.

Fingernails - Anna increasingly suspects that her relationship with her longtime partner may not actually be the real thing. In an attempt to improve things, she secretly embarks on a new assignment working at a mysterious institute designed to incite and test the presence of romantic love in increasingly desperate couples.

Hello Stranger - A humanoid A.I.'s attempt to win over a widow's heart places it in the path of a government agent trying to stop the rise of machine consciousness.

IWÁJÚ - A comic-style animated sci-fi series set in Lagos that explores themes of class, innocence and challenging the status quo.

Jung_E - On an uninhabitable 22nd-century Earth, the outcome of a civil war hinges on cloning the brain of an elite soldier to create a robot mercenary.

Knock at the Cabin - While vacationing, a girl and her parents are taken hostage by armed strangers who demand that the family make a choice to avert the apocalypse.

M3gan - A robotics engineer at a toy company builds a life-like doll that begins to take on a life of its own.

Rebel Moon - A young woman seeks out warriors from other planets to fight the tyrannical armies terrorizing her peaceful colony.

Spaceman - Jakub Procházka, orphaned as a boy and raised in the Czech countryside by his grandparents, overcomes his odds to become the country's first astronaut.

Static Codes - A man's wife was abducted by aliens ten years ago during a car accident which left him paralyzed from the waist down. Given up on life, he has become consumed with only one mission: finding his wife.

The Mothership - The sci-fi adventure follows Sara Morse one year since her husband mysteriously vanished from their rural farm. When she discovers a strange, extraterrestrial object underneath their home, Sara and her kids embark on a race to find their husband, father, and most importantly - the truth.

The Pod Generation - In a not-so-distant future, amid a society madly in love with technology, tech giant Pegazus offers couples the opportunity to share their pregnancies via detachable artificial wombs or pods. And so begins Rachel and Alvy's wild ride to parenthood in this brave new world.

True Love - An upcoming sci-fi story, set in the near future. (Cast has been revealed, but no other details.)

Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania

Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom 

Blue Beatle

Dune Part 2 

Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves

Ghostbusters sequel

Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

Kraven the Hunter 

Shazam! Fury of the Gods

Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse

Star Trek 4

The Acolyte

The Flash

The Hunger Games: Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Little Mermaid

The Marvels 

The Meg 2: The Trench

The Wandering Earth 2

Transformers: Rise of the Beasts

Are there any you're looking forward to watching?

A quick update on what I'm working on... Above is the mood board for my current work-in-progress, with the working title '4Bed.' It's the first book in my new series, ROMANCE TALES FROM THE QUADRANTS. This series is a spin-off of my Kaddim Brothers series. But this same universe series will include more than MPreg Omegaverse stories. I'm going to explore many groupings in the relationships each story will focus on. 4Bed explores a MFMM relationship along with space racing, planetary politics, and mostly the idea of soulmates and love. At this moment, I have five stories planned for this series, but it is possible to write so many more.

Happy Healthy Me 2023

 By Maureen Bonatch

It’s that time of year again when we’re all overwhelmed with commercials for diet and exercise. As if we can make up for the last few weeks—or the last year—of overindulging in one month. 

But often, we fall for it, or at least I do. Because I see the bright, shiny New Year in front of me, full of possibilities. Often that’s enough to achieve the goals we might’ve put off for a while, while other times, it’s just setting us up for disappointment. 

Being that I’ve fallen into the latter over the last year, I’ve decided to simplify my goals a bit this year. Sure I still have an elaborate spreadsheet (or several) for my author goals, but I have at least broken those down into good, better, and the best goals so I can adjust accordingly.

But as far as my personal goals, I’m looking at the year with a different mindset.

Is This Healthy for Me?

Diets? I’ve tried almost all of them. I’ve had plenty of time to do so since I’ve been on a diet since I’ve been about thirteen years old. Of course, now, when I look back over the years, the goal weight I might have now might be what I weighed when I was on a diet then! 

Instead, I plan to look at what I’m planning to look at what I want to eat or drink and think, “Is this healthy for me?” 

That’s not to say that I’m giving up chocolate (hey- I’m no quitter!), but I’ll be more mindful when I do indulge, rather than eating mindlessly. This is more about awareness because when I eat healthier, I feel better.

Healthy Habits

Since being healthy isn’t just about eating, I’ll be sure to look at other habits and try to make them more healthy such as:

• How long have I been sitting? Maybe I’m due for a short walk or a stretch.

• What time am I getting up tomorrow? Maybe I should try to go to bed earlier.

• How much caffeine have I had already? Maybe I should have herbal tea or more water instead.

• Is worrying going to change this? Maybe I should put that worry into ‘the parking lot’ and focus on other priorities.

Happiness

Happiness is my ultimate goal and I know that by taking care of my body and mind that I’ll feel better and thus should be happier. Other things I’ll consider include to:

• Reprioritize or eliminate tasks that won’t help me meet my author goals.

• Break the cycle of negative thoughts, and avoid negative people and situations which can infect me with more negativity.

• Make time for things that may be completely unproductive, but make me happy.

Happy New Year! I Hope 2023 Brings You Much Joy!

If you want to read more about making healthy author goals, then check out my article (here) for Indie Author Magazine about setting healthy Indie Author Goals.

Speaking of joy, here are some book freebies and sales to fill up your kindle with some cozy goodness.

Happy New Year Cozy Mystery Sales Event:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/happynewyearcozymystery/g27769n6gh

Free Cozy Mysteries for January:

https://books.bookfunnel.com/cozy_mystery_obsessed/3cz91mwf36

M.L. Bonatch believes music can be paired with every mood, laughter is contagious, and caffeine and wine are essential for survival. When she’s not doing the bidding of a feisty Shih Tzu, she’s a mom to twin daughters, exploring the beautiful woods of PA with her hubby and dancing as much as possible. She writes cozy paranormal mysteries and paranormal romance as  M.L. Bonatch, urban fantasy, and other genres as Maureen Bonatch.

Find Maureen on her website, Facebook & Twitter

 

Be the first to know about Maureen’s book sales and new releases by following her on BookBub, Amazon and/or signing up for her newsletter

Happy New Year! by Diane Burton

 

Here we are welcoming 2023. Will it be a good year or one like 2020? Let's hope not. 

At this time every year, we tend to look back at the previous year and look forward to the new one. It's no wonder that the Roman god Janus (January) is associated with the new year. He's often shown with two faces.

Looking back, was 2022 a good year for you? Not so much for me. I've had worse (e.g., the aforementioned 2020) and better (too numerous to mention specifics). My productivity on the writing side in 2022 was zilch. I forgot (or ignored) the axiom of writers: BICHOK. What's that, you say? Butt In Chair, Hands On Keyboard. That's the only way writers are productive. 

On the other hand, 2022 marked my 50th wedding anniversary. Yeah, 50 years with the same man. Many of my friends already surpassed that. Yet, many people don't reach that milestone. My parents almost did, but my dad died four months before. As a writer of relationship stories, I'm glad I found my happy-ever-after. Not that it was all rainbows and unicorns. But then, what marriage is? 

Enough looking back. New Year's Day is a time to plan, a time to make resolutions (that most of us don't keep) or promises to do better. I consider the new year as a time to begin again. I started writing almost 30 years ago. Many of those manuscripts will never see the light of day. They were practice. My first published book was a science fiction romance. I've written several more in that genre. Also, some cozy mysteries and suspense. A few short stories, some novellas, and enough full-length novels to be proud of.

I could sit back, resting on my laurels. Or I could finish the novels already started, the novellas from short stories. No promises this year. No resolutions. Done that enough times, only to disappoint myself. So, what to do?

The best I can. 

How about you?

Happy New Year to my colleagues and especially to our readers. May it be the best for all of us.