Resolutions Schmesolutions by Jenny Gardiner

So, it's been 6 weeks since the New Year. Anyone still sticking with those darned resolutions that sounded so achievable back then?

I have mixed feelings about resolutions. I mean when it gets down to it, they seem like a self-flagellating set-up for failure (by the way, I was going to post a picture of self-flagellation just for a laugh, but all the pictures I found were absolutely gross!). As if something miraculous happens at the stroke of midnight that means all of a sudden you're going to eliminate sugar while binging on kale, exercise two hours a day, write masterpieces and publish them at a rate of one per month, master the fine art of marketing, and oh, while you're at it, make world peace a reality.

Yeah, I'll get right on that.

I know some folks who are serious goal-setters, with annotated bucket lists (I really do not love the whole bucket list concept---it feels really trite to me), but if it works for them, good on 'em. I know one gal who is a bucket lister-extraordinaire: somewhere hovering around # 70 was this bold ambition: go to medical school. Well, last spring, at the age of 54, she completed her undergraduate degree, and now, at age 55, is enrolled in medical school. I can't tell you how impressive I think this is--I mean, damn, what an undertaking. While the rest of us are lamenting hot flashes and praying to God for an early retirement, she has undertaken a whopping commitment that will have her busting her ass (and never sleeping, though maybe she's maximizing the downsides to hot flashing all night)) well into her 60's---and that's before she even ends her training. WOW! That is A-MAZING to me. That said, she's left teenaged kids home with her husband, which is something I could never do. Although what a cool example to set for your kids. But then again, you only have your kids with you for such a short period, it would break my heart to leave them behind like that. But that's just me.

Okay so on to my resolutions. I do have writing goals that I am determined to achieve, and I do believe it helps to write them down, not only to just have it there in black and white, but to help you see it and remind yourself of it and even, if you're lucky, tick off some of those achievements when they occur (usually a few years later).

Now's time for you to laugh. I just took a look at my 2016 Goals for Writing (which I'd forgotten to look at since I wrote it a month ago). Top of the list?

1. Organize my life

Well, crap. So far, not so good on that one. Believe me, if/when I achieve this one, I'll let y'all know.

the rest are in no particular order, and I'd just like you all to light a candle or two on my behalf if you have it in your heart that maybe I can get through these this year:

2. Master Facebook ads (i.e. listen to, then apply my 50-hour tutorial on FB ads)

3. Build mailing list

4. Write lots more books (haha, don't ya like how I didn't write a number. Though I've got 5 slated to publish and in my fantasies I'd write at least 3 more. Operative word being "fantasies". Perhaps this is how I maximize that failure to sleep that menopause imposes on us at this age.

5. Have books made into audio books (this will be when the money starts falling from trees, or when I master Facebook ads, whichever comes first)

6. Have books translated into German (see #5 as far as realistic goal)

7. Make bestsellers lists.

So there you have it. I have my work cut out for me. And as I scramble to meet my deadline with a book to my editor, again, I will put it out there that I wouldn't turn it down if you all wanted to light a candle for me to actually get it all together.

And if I don't? Well, there's always 2017...

Oh hey! I accomplished something I forgot to write down. It was really an overlap from 2015 but it happened, so yay me: I overhauled my website, and it just got finalized last week. Feel free to check it out and tell me what you think! http://www.jennygardiner.net (now wish me luck with maintaining it, technophobe that I am...).

While you're over there, I've got an awesome free book for you if you sign up for my newsletter: Something in the Heir, book 1 of my It's Reigning Men series! Sign up here http://eepurl.com/baaewn and you'll be first to hear about deals and giveaways.

Also, Throne for a Loop, book 6 of the It's Reigning Men series, comes out March 8 and is available for pre-order here:
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Now it's your turn: what are your goals and aspirations are for 2016 and beyond?

   

        

And you get the first sneak peek at my cover for book 7, It's Getting Hot in Heir!

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CJ Carmichael: How Harry Porter helped with my New Year Resolutions

Christmas is a chaotic time of year at our house, mostly because we (Mike would say I) choose to make it that way. I love to decorate our house, to buy and wrap gifts, and to bake special treats (even if everyone is cutting back on sweets these days). This year Mike and I made it even more crazy by deciding to get married on December 27.

We had our reasons for picking this date—mainly because Mike’s daughters from Nova Scotia and Montreal, and my father from Saskatchewan, were going to be coming to Calgary for the holidays and this way they wouldn’t need to make a special trip—but I don’t think either of us were prepared for just how exhausting it would be to combine two such momentous events into less than a week!

I’m happy to report that everything went well, both Christmas and the wedding. (Check Facebook for photos. I’ll be posting more soon.) But once the last out-of-town guest left town, we were ready to veg. We decide to combine an afternoon cross-country ski in the Rocky Mountains with a marathon session of watching Harry Potter Movies. Tonight we just finished Movie Four: The Order of the Phoenix, and when it was over, I realized that thanks to Dumbledore and Sirius Black I had found my three resolutions for 2016:

Resolution #1:

 Every year I make choices about what stories I’m going to write. Sometimes these choices have been driven by book contracts, market trends, or other such external factors. This year I’m going to write stories that stretch my abilities. I’m going to strive for excellence, for honesty, and at the same time let my imagination soar.

Resolution #2:

Sometimes I am too much swayed by my desire to get along with others, to be helpful and, yes, liked. This year I want to focus on standing up for what is important to me. More than anything, this means spending my time on activities and people that matter to me, rather than taking on projects to please others.

Resolution #3:

I admit I’m someone who loves to dream. Reading and writing are extensions of this love...but it is possible to live too much inside your own head. I want to pack this year with my beloved hiking and skiing adventures...and this year I want to start journaling these adventures, as a way to truly focus on each unique experience.

Resolved...to keep resolving

I’ve always enjoyed making resolutions and setting goals for myself at the beginning of each year. I realize not everyone does. But I feel, even if I make 80% of my goals by the end of the year, or even 50%, at least progress has been made.

Thanks for taking the time to read this. And if you’re the sort who likes to make resolutions, I’d love to hear what they are. Share below and I’ll choose one random commenter to receive a $10 Starbucks gift card. (Cause if we’re going to keep our resolutions, we’re going to need coffee...)

Happy 2016!

C. J. Carmichael

Book at the beach - Kandy Shepherd

Look at that lucky book of mine! I wish I were sitting on that beach towel with it in beautiful Byron Bay in northern New South Wales.

Sadly no such luck—A Diamond in Her Stocking is with my daughter as she takes a break from her university studies. It’s summer Down Under and the long summer vacation still stretches out in front of her. She’s having so much fun I doubt any reading is being done!

Meanwhile I’m at home writing. I had three books for Harlequin Romance released in 2014 and hopefully the same number for 2015. That’s why I’m writing, writing, writing and not lying on the beach. But I’m also rejoicing that I work from home, my time is my own and I’m doing what I always wanted to do—writing romance.

When I left my “day job” I thought I was sliding into semi-retirement when what I really did was head into another fulfiling job. It was a change I’m so very glad I made.

I’m not great on New Year resolutions. It’s a tad too embarrassing when the year rolls on and the ridiculously unachievable resolutions still haven’t happened. But I find the new year is a good time to think about change.

This year I really am thinking about making regular exercise an indispensable part of my daily routine in response to all this time sitting in front of the computer. So far, so good because it’s summer I’m able to swim which is no hardship at all! (I just wish I was at that beach with my book!)

Have you got change in mind for this year? Or did you make a change last year that turned out for the best?

Whatever you live you live in the world, whether the new year starts in winter of summer I hope you’re enjoying a fresh start to 2015!

Kandy’s third Dolphin Bay story for Harlequin Romance, A Diamond in Her Stocking, was a December 2014 release and is available now.

Kandy Shepherd is an award-winning author of contemporary romance and women’s fiction. She lives on a small farm in the Blue Mountains near Sydney, Australia, with her family and a menagerie of four-legged friends.

Sticking with Resolutions by Michelle Styles

Because January is a time of resolution and guilt or at least it is for me. I always start with good intentions. In fact you could say as my great grandmother did if the road to hell is paved with good intentions, I am the contractor in chief. But two weeks into 2011 and I can already see things starting to slide. It is easier to fall back into old habits. The shiny new resolutions go on the backburner because life throws up distractions.


Change is hard. There is no doubt about it. It takes dedication, desire, determination, discipline and a lot of persistence to change. I know this to be true because for many years, I kept saying – I am going to write a book. Somehow, something else would always get in the way.

At the end of 2002, I decided to do something about it. It took until 2005 and seven full length manuscripts until I sold to Harlequin Mills & Boon. It is why when unpublished authors speak to me about their dreams, I listen and know that the dreams can become reality if people are serious about working at it. Yes some of it is luck but you do make your own luck and sometimes dreams change or alter.

It took getting seriously ill to make me focus and decide to follow my dream, even though it had long been a resolution of mine. And there are times when it remains a struggle to focus. You would think habits like being disciplined and writing the pages first would become ingrained in the psyche but they don’t. I always struggle and have to work at it. But it is worth at the end when I do hold another of my dreams in my hands or when I hear from a reader that they enjoyed a story of mine. Remembering the joy helps when it gets tough.

So whatever your resolutions or whatever change you wanted to make in your life, know that if it is truly worth it, it will take longer than 2 weeks to achieve. And even if you do fall back, you can always try again. Each day is a chance to start anew and to make things happen. Sometimes it is helpful to look and see how far you have come. Or as Thomas Edison once put it, he had to find 10,000 ways how not to make a light bulb before he found the one way that he could.

So to all of those who are struggling with their resolutions, I am struggling as well. But this year, I am determined to do better. Discipline, determination,dedication, desire and perservance are the key but  oh how I wish it was easier. Does anyone else struggle?

Michelle Styles writes historical romance for Harlequin Historical and her current US release is Impoverished Miss Convenient Wife. You can learn more about her books on her website. http://www.michellestyles.co.uk/