WRAPPING UP 2025

It’s difficult to wrap up a year like this one.  

It was a struggle most of the way through for me in so many ways. Losing my friend Helena at the end of last year, losing my aunt, losing a friend … I carried a lot of grief with me.

The state of the world in general and of the United States in particular caused an enormous amount of stress.  

And yet, there were bright spots.   

Running the shop in addition to my writing was challenging but fun overall. I had a few missteps but I was so delighted by the number of people who purchased eBooks and audiobooks. Who snapped up team merch and signed paperbacks.  

Not only because it was a relief that I was earning back so much of what I invested in character art and audio recording, but because it gives me so much peace of mind to know that if something goes haywire on Amazon, I have a backup.  

It would be stressful and I would lose a huge amount of my income if the worst happened and Amazon shut down my account like they’ve done to so many authors without warning.  

But I could pivot. I could shift and adapt and I could make it work. The framework is in place, which takes a huge load off my mind.  

This year, I wrote somewhere around 500k words as I wrote and released the first four books in the Scoring Chances series. I had a wonderful time at Sports Romance Con. I released German and Italian translations along with an illustrated paperback of Scrooge You!. 

Looking back, I feel a little amazed at how much I was able to do despite the grief and stress.  

A couple of people were bummed that Cheap Shot won’t be out until April. I know many of you are hoping I’ll get Boston Harriers merch up in the shop ASAP. I’ve also hinted at a couple of projects that I was hoping to release that haven’t been launched yet.  

Those projects (minus the Cheap Shot release) are on hold for a little bit.  

For the next few months will be a little quieter for me. I’ll be going to go to a couple of hockey games. There will be a little more focus on travel and time with friends. 

As much as I am someone who legitimately enjoys working, I have to be careful to take time for myself as well.  

I don’t feel burned out, thankfully. But I am always mindful that it could be lurking on the horizon. And it’s always good to refill my creative well.  

I’m not going anywhere.  

You’ll still be getting newsletters and audiobooks. I’ll still be writing. I’ll still be on social media.  

On your end, it might not look very different.  

On mine? Well, I am looking forward to all of the joy the new year might bring!