For my last blog of 2014 I toyed with the idea of writing a “year in review,” but quickly realized I’d already covered that territory—either in a previous post or in one of my “new” pages. Here’s a recap of those new pages, with links to take you there. I’ll continue to update these (and my other pages) when there’s something new to share.

Books: A listing and description of my books, complete with buy links. Yes, books! Plural!

Blog Hopping: An introduction to my interviews on other websites. Be sure to check out these other amazing authors.

Out & About: Some photos taken at the Toronto International Book Fair and the book launches at the Sleuth of Baker Street for The Whole She-Bang 2 and World Enough and Crime.

That’s 2014 in a nutshell. Let’s look ahead to some of my plans for 2015:

• January: I’m taking part in JANO, a writing contest sponsored by Sleuths’ Ink, a mystery and suspense writers’ non-profit organization in Springfield, Missouri. The goal: write 50,000 words in a month, the equivalent of 1,613 words a day. While it’s highly doubtful that I’ll make the 50k target, I’m hoping to reach at least half of that. I’m also a sponsor of JANO 2015, along with several other authors. If writing a novel is on your to-do list, why not sign up? It’s free and you might just win a prize!
• Summer 2015: Barking Rain Press will release my debut novel, The Hanged Man’s Noose. To celebrate this, and to share my experiences in getting there, I’ll be writing a series of blog posts titled “My Publishing Journey.” I plan to cover everything from trying to land an agent and/or publisher to eventually signing a contract, and the highs and lows of getting there.
• Interview with an Author: Since no two authors follow the same path to publication, I’m going to provide an alternate perspective, with a continuation of my “Interview with an Author” series. In 2015, the focus will shift away from short stories and She-Bang, to mystery novelists, both emerging and well known.
• October: It’s official! I’ve signed up to attend my first ever Bouchercon. Billed as the world’s premier event bringing together all parts of the mystery and crime fiction community, Bouchercon moves to a different week and city each year. In 2015, the dates are October 7-11 and the location is Raleigh, North Carolina. I’m hoping to get in some touristy things as well, since I’ve never been to Raleigh (or North Carolina for that matter).
• Start a Newsletter: The idea is to publish quarterly (or thereabouts), with the first newsletter in Spring 2015, before the scheduled release of The Hanged Man’s Noose. But first I need to build up a subscriber list. To aid in this, I’ve added a sign-up link in the top lefthand corner of my home page, or you can click on the “Newsletter” image shown here. There’s also a sign-up link on my Facebook page. See…lots of ways to sign up (though of course, you only need to do so once). Thanks so much if you decide to do so.
• All Year: Reading is a huge part of my life. I’ve never actually measured how many books I read in a year, but for sure at least one book a week, and often more. Now that I’m on Goodreads, I’ve set up a “2015 Books” bookshelf. It will be interesting to see where I end up by year’s end. And if you’re not on Goodreads, consider signing up. It’s a fabulous resource for readers and writers with reviews, giveaways, a super newsletter, groups to join and much more. And it’s free!
• Works in (various stages) of Progress: Finish at least two of the short stories started and abandoned, complete my current manuscript (now in the hands of my beta-editor but still very first drafty), and revisit the town of Lount’s Landing for the sequel to The Hanged Man’s Noose.

Will I achieve every goal? Maybe, maybe not. But one thing is certain: I’ll have a lot of fun trying. To quote Erica Jong: “When I sit down at my writing desk, time seems to vanish. I think it’s a wonderful way to spend one’s life.”

Thank you for reading my blog. Wishing you all the best for 2015.

Judy