QUARTERLY UPDATE: A long time coming…

Yes, I think my blog misses me. And I also miss my blog.

It’s been a long time since I shared regular quarterly updates, and I was surprised when I checked to discover the last actual quarterly update was in December of 2021.

Now, I’ll show myself some grace since I barely blogged in 2022 and I didn’t blog one bit in 2023. The main reason for that is because I was offered and decided to accept a job in December 2021 (there’s this little thing called…retirement), so that I went back to doing my best to work my writing in and around a regular day job. Something, unfortunately, had to give and that was the blog.

Finally, after two years, I decided to try to make up for that, as I try once again to use the blog for its original intended purpose: to share my journey as a writer. The good and bad, the ups and downs, the easy and the hard, as it all occurs in this middle of this wonderful thing we call LIFE.

So, rather than just a regular quarterly blog, I suppose this should actually be a two-year+ update.

Let’s see how the words flow with what I have to share with you:

Publishing

The sixth novel in the Jorja Matthews mystery series, Web of Lies (Volume 6), was published before the end of June 2021 It’s taken what seems like forever to write, edit, review, and rewrite the seventh in the series. Much longer than I anticipated, even with a day job. But 2024 is finally the year and I will be so relieved when it’s completed and available to readers.

Part of the reason the seventh book has taken longer is not only because of the day job, but because I started writing a new mystery series. I had an idea for a series with amateur sleuths on the road and it just wouldn’t leave me alone. It had been some time since I wrote or published anything other than the Jorja mysteries (my YA novel, Born or Bred, was published in 2020), so I decided to focus on the new project and created the Road Trip Mystery Series. I published Ignorance is Bliss, the first book in the series, in 2022, and the second book, Two Birds, One Stone, late last year. It’s honestly been a fun series to write and I look forward to writing and publishing more (there will be a total of twelve books in this series) after completing the next Jorja novel.

Writing

For now my focus is on Jorja so that the seventh novel can be published. I’m currently completing another review and edits of the manuscript and tightening up some plot points. I decided to join Camp Nano this month and have set my schedule around the challenge of completing what needs to be done. Where NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) is all about reaching a 50,000 word count in 30 days, Camp Nano lets you spend a month focusing on either word count, or editing, and anything in between. I like this challenge because it helps keep me on task.

Reader Outreach

My monthly newsletter has been provided to readers on a regular basis and continues to be the best way to share my musings and updates. If you aren’t on my list, visit my Home page to sign up. Beyond that, the past two years have also seen an uptick in events, which I’m thankful for. For a while I was worried because events weren’t picking up even after many of the restrictions were finally lifted after the pandemic.

I have continued to take part in the outdoor monthly creative arts market at least three times during the summer months. They will begin again this June and will run through September. Those events are a terrific way to continue to share my series with new readers. In addition, the past two Decembers I participated in a large event held locally just before Christmas, where I share my books as wonderful gift ideas.

And I also had my first speaking event in over four years! My last speaking event was near the end of 2019. That was just before everything shut down and multiple events scheduled in 2020 were cancelled. When I met a reader at one of the markets last year who asked if I’d be interested in a speaking event this year, I jumped at the chance. I hadn’t thought about the fact that it had been over four years since my last speaking event (I honestly hadn’t realized it had been that long!), so the nerves quickly caught up to me, but I was grateful for the opportunity. That event occurred in January, so I started the year and this quarter off on a positive note with regard to events.

Reading

I committed to reading 50 books again this year and I’m easily going to hit the mark again. A writer has to be a reader, and even on those days when I’m not able to write, I try to get in some reading. Not only does it help me as a writer…as a reader it’s most definitely my way to relax. My reads so far include cozy mysteries, crime fiction, suspense, and legal thrillers. I’m currently reading a cozy mystery (paperback) and a ghost story (eBook), but I have other genres on my TBR pile as well, including a YA novel that received a high number of positive reviews.

By the way, what’s on your TBR pile? And I do mean pile…

I have a large number of eBooks waiting for me on my Kindle, but I LOVE holding a book in my hands and have a lot of books on my bookshelves waiting for me to chose them next. IF one of my books is on your TBR list/pile, AND you’re a member of a book club, keep in mind that I LOVE meeting with book club groups. So if your group plans to read one of my novels and would like me to attend one of their meetings, I will gladly say YES! Physically or virtually, if we’re distantly challenge, it doesn’t matter to me because of how much I enjoy spending time with book club members while we talk about books, writing, my books and characters, inspiration, or any other writing topic.

Blogging

We’ve already mentioned this topic…in that the blog took a hit the past two years. I enjoyed blogging, when I was sharing about my writing journey, but then the business of writing took away the fun I was having with what made me begin to write, and to share about writing, in the first place. I lost my footing in how I wanted to share the highs and the lows about my writing journey, when the job and the business of writing took up too much of my time, affected my ability to create, and essentially left little time to even share how I was feeling about it all via the blog. I left it up to my newsletter to share updates with readers, but I miss tying my blog posts in with what I share in the newsletter. So I am trying to work my way back to that place where I can enjoy doing both.

If you are new to my blog, there are old posts I want to make sure to share with you if you are a regular reader of the Jorja Matthews mystery series. In January 2021, I began writing blog posts with character interviews, of which there are twelve. I also shared posts relating to private investigating and interesting cases. I don’t know that I’ll be adding to any of those blog series, but they will always be available in the archives:

• Character Coffee Chats share character interviews from the Jorja Matthews mystery series and their back stories (some will include spoilers if you are not up-to-speed on the series).
• Nonfiction Nuggets include topics that relate to the Jorja Matthews series in some way.
• P.I. Posts include unique stories and interesting case reviews.

Something I haven’t had the time for is blogging on my YA website or Jozee’s blog (Jaunts with Jozee), but don’t hesitate to check them out anyway. Jozee’s blog is great for anyone who lives in the PNW and is curious about visiting local parks with dogs.

Business of Writing

To be productive, I have to plan, and that means sticking to a business plan. I’ve continued to use business plans as a way to keep myself on track, or to figure out when and why I fell off track. The first quarter I focused on Jorja, and I will continue in this second quarter. The second and third quarters will involve events, should include publishing the next Jorja novel and will involve beginning the next novel in the Road Trip Mysteries.

So there you have it…a quarterly review but also a two-year update. At this point, I want to keep things simple. Complete the next Jorja novel. Prepare for upcoming summer events. Prepare to start drafting the first draft of the next Road Trip mystery novel. Keep up with monthly newsletters, and do my best at blogging, at least monthly if possible.

It’s all doable and with laser focus and making use of good time management skills, I know I can do anything. Beyond that, if I am able to make time for anything else, it will just be a bonus.