Happy New Year! It's been a while since I've posted a blog, so I'd like to apologize and welcome you all back.
I hope you're all settling in and enjoying 2023 so far. I have big plans for the year, but before we get to that, I have to reflect a little on 2022.
It was a year full of travel and fun. It was also a year where I questioned a lot of what I want in life, which ultimately made me make some powerful goals for the new year.
Overall, 2022 had it's ups and downs but it turned out to be pretty fantastic since I was able to meet so many readers and travel the U.S. for both business and pleasure.
Here's some highlights.
2022 Highlights
NYC Birthday Trip
I went to New York with my mom and brother to finally see Hugh Jackman in The Music Man on Broadway after 2 years of it being postponed due to COVID. We did a lot of other fun things in city while we were there (Jimmy Fallon, SNL, The Strand Bookstore, 2 other Broadway shows). Easy to say it was the best birthday ever!
Dad's Florida Trip
My dad turned 60 in 2022, and he wanted to go to Disney and Universal in Florida for his birthday, so my brother and I took him. We had a blast!
Another Fun NYC Trip
You can't keep us away from New York for long! We returned in the summer for mom's birthday.
FanExpo Denver
First book event of 2022!
San Diego Comic Con
We made it! This was a bucket list event for me and my brother and it took us 6 years...6 YEARS to get these tickets in 2020. And guess what? COVID postponed it for another 2 years so this experience was 8 YEARS IN THE MAKING. Our first San Diego Comic Con!!! It was awesome! There was so much to see (Show Floor, Panels, Authors, Comics, Celebrities, Hall H). We're ready to do it again lol.
C2E2
Second book event of the year!
New Job
Beyond excited to say that I now work in traditional publishing for my day job! This was definitely a big moment of 2022. I had interned at Hachette in 2019 and now I work there in the Manufacturing department where I send books to the printer and make sure they stay on schedule for release day.
The Trilogy is Complete
This was my biggest accomplishment! When book three came out in September, I was--and still am--so proud of myself. Completing one book is hard, but now I have three finished books. It's surreal to think about, and I can't wait to keep adding more to the collection.
New York Comic Con
Third book event of the year! And always our best one too. And this was the first time book three was out in the world at an event.
LA Comic Con
Fourth book event of the year! And I finally achieved my goal of doing an event in every time zone within the U.S.
Tattered Cover Signing
Last book event of the year, but first bookstore event! This was a great way to top-off the year, and hopefully more bookstore events are in my future.
Now that we've taken a look back at where we were, let's see where we're going.
2023 Resolutions
In 2023 there is a lot I want to achieve, but there are four main areas that I'll be focusing on.
Social Media
I want to post more content and be consistent about it. I've already taken the first steps toward this goal since I've been posting every day since 2023 started, but I don't just want to post about my book. Sure that is the main thing I want to get across but I also want you to get to know the human (me) behind the screen.
Reading I absolutely love to read, but I'm been way too busy to do it. I had a goal to read 6 books in 2022 and I only made it to 4. That's definitely a problem, so I'd like to incorporate reading back into my life by reading 1 book a month this year.
AngelWise
This year I intend to start work on my new business, AngelWise, a way to connect with the angels on a daily basis and to get to know more about them. Stay tuned for reveals and products updates in the coming months.
Next Book Project I know what writing project I'll be working on next, but I hope to take this year to research and brainstorm the idea I have in mind. It's been almost a decade since I've been in this planning phase where I'm creating a story from scratch. However, it's one of my favorite parts of writing and I'm really excited to get started.
Ultimately, I have a big year ahead of me full of so many goals and accomplishments. Let's see what I can achieve and what comes along the way to surprise me.