Happy 2015 – Part 1 – Looking Back

Perhaps I’m a wee bit late on this, but it is the first WORKWEEK of 2015, and honestly, one of my resolutions is to make sure I get enough rest.

After all, a lack of rest and overdoing it was my biggest fall in 2014.  We learn from our mistakes.

So, here’s a quick review of 2014 with my plans for 2015.

Accomplishments:

THREE FREAKING NOVELS OUT!!!

A KICK-ASS WEBCOMIC WITH AN AWESOME ARTIST!!

I HAD A SIGNING AT BOOK EXPO AMERICA!!!

Those are three biggies. There are more!

“Steadfast in the Face of Zombies” finally came out in Once Upon an Apocalypse

“Oprah Funds the End of The World” was sold and came out in Demonic Visions 5

Speaking, paneling, signing, tabling at:

Arisia

Conbust

Wiscon

Book Expo America / Bookcon

Pi-Con

DragonCon

Rock & Shock

Bookstore, Library & other appearances:

Enigma Books, Astoria, NY

Books & Boos, CT

Generations Gifts and Herbal Apothecary, Oxford, MA

Nashua Public Library, NH

Annie’s Book Stop of Worcester, MA

Booklover’s Gourmet, Webster, MA

Bigelow Free Public Library, Clinton, MA

Jacob Edwards Library, Southbridge, MA

Sturbridge Coffee Roasters / Girl Power!, Southbridge, MA

I also edited a whole bunch of books in 2014—mine and other people’s.

And Calico and I had a good year together, with a good amount of riding, especially this summer. (See the blog pic!)

I also celebrated a lot of wonderful weddings for family and friends—and I was honored to be the matron of honor for two very good friends at their beautiful ceremony!

There was also a lot of difficulty in 2014, though.

I’d thought my 2013 autumn had been difficult with death and illness.  This 2014, it ended up being even worse.  I won’t list all those who I lost or who I was worrying over, but there were a lot.  I fell behind on a lot of deadlines for myself and for other people, and I had to drop some of my projects.  And then I got sick, myself, pretty badly.  I ended up with a serious kidney infection on top of some larger issues that came to a head right at the same time. I’ve still got a bit of a journey to go through with tests and such, and there are some life decisions I need to make, but I have information—and that is the best tool and best weapon anyone can ask for!

There were other big changes and upheavals during the year, too, but I’d rather not focus on those for this post.  Some things over which I have no power.

I only have power over my own choices, my own decisions. 

So, what I need to work on after looking back on 2014:

I need to take care of my own writing career.  I need to do the promo, I need to blog, and most of all, I need to do my own writing and editing.

I need to make and meet some hard deadlines in January for leftover 2014 work. I know what these are; I need to just do them.

After January, I need to make a better schedule for the year.

I will do these things.

I shall do these things.

I’m starting fresh again, my New Year’s blog.  I have a fire ceremony to do tomorrow as the moon STARTS to wane; there are a lot of things I need to be rid of.

                                                                                            

Tonight, I simply light a candle, post a blog, and get to sleep at a reasonable hour.

A Trailer for... THE KELPIE!!

Noooo... not a horse trailer! He'd tear that apart!  Look, I have a cool book trailer for my first novel!!

Please post and share around?  :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iiLIXfO3lck&feature=youtu.be

[... Ack, sorry for just the link. Blogger is being a pain and unable to find the trailer no matter how I search!]

Thank you to Roberto Muerto for making it awesome!

Enjoy!

A SILENT STARSONG! My cover! Yep, that's how I'm starting 2014 blog posts...

I can't tell you how excited I am about this!!  I wrote Kyra's adventures long before I even thought about Heather and the MacArthur family.  The Husband-of-Awesome has been a fan of Kyra and Marne for years and years; they're his favorite of my literary "children."

AND THEY'RE FINALLY REAL!!

The fabulous Veronica V. Jones is the artist for this cover, and she made them EXACTLY how I picture them in my head.

E-X-A-C-T-L-Y!!!!

So, I'm thrilled to pieces to finally share this with you!

Here are the deets for this baby:

Title: Silent Starsong

Author: T.J. Woolridge

Publisher: Spencer Hill Press (www.spencerhillpress.com) Please feel free to use any images, text. Links, etc. from our website.

ISBN: 9781939392930

Release Date: July 15, 2014

Formats: Paperback, e-book

If the stars were singing your future, what would you do to hear it?

Eleven-year-old Kyra Starbard has proud family legacy of interpreting the future from the stars' songs.  But her deafness, incurable by the best medics, breaks her mother's heart and pushes her father to try anything—including the expensive purchase of a telepathic alien servant to help Kyra communicate on a planet inhospitable to disability.

Marne's telepathy is too weak for his Naratsset culture, so he is sold into slavery and expects to die at the hands of cruel owners—until he meets a human child who begs her father to "save" him.  Her kindness introduces Marne to a new world—one where he would risk his life to save a human from her own people's abuse and the stars' songs can touch even a deaf girl and a defective telepath. 

But there are forces that believe Starbards, whether they can hear the stars are not, should be utterly destroyed. Can the two friends, not good enough for either of their cultures or families, manage to keep each other safe when several different worlds threaten their lives?

If you’d like to request an ARC, please use the reviewer form on our website (http://www.spencerhillpress.com/reviewers.html). ARC’s will ship in February/March 2014.

Below is the wraparound. There have been a few tweaks to the lettering/wording, but you HAVE to see how gorgeous the whole thing is!  Veronica has outdone herself!!