Thinking back on last year, I can only describe it as a whirlwind. But you know that story. If you’ve followed or ever read this blog, you know exactly what went down last year and though it was not always perfect, I can safely say that it was life changing.

So here we are and it’s 2015. Time to reevaluate. Think of this post as “This Season on…” but more or less for my life.

New Stories to be Told

As many of you know, I have just signed the contract for the next book in the Spellcaster Saga, which will be a direct sequel to last year’s A Love Story for Witches. This one is called A Home for Wizards and it is easily the biggest project I’ve ever done. I’m pretty excited to get to jump back into this world again and now that I’ve proven to myself that I can finish a novel, I find that this time around is much easier. It’s as if I finally get to just have fun writing which is a great thing.

BUT there are also a lot of other amazing things coming soon. My partner Carl and I have started working on a project that will hopefully be a graphic novel and we are confident that it will release before the end of this year. It is a fun quirky adventure that I think really uses the best of both our abilities to tell a crazy story that I can’t wait to share more about. On a side note, I am finding it to be fantastic to get to work with my partner even more closely than on Witches for which he was the editor. When you write with someone, you get to know them even more than you knew them before. You get to see just how stubborn they (and you) are. But this back and forth and the ability to compromise makes us even closer and though we may yell about a scene for 45 minutes or more, we still come out of it excited to work on the next part. This is the type of working relationship Ive never really had which makes it all the more thrilling.

Another project coming this year is in the form of an old project. Artist L.W. Marks and I will be rejoining forces to continue and finish the episodic tale of Jazu the Wanderer. This is a book we both have so much care for but due to life, we were forced to put on the back burner. Well, no more. We are redoubling our efforts and hope to have more news about this title that is near and dear to both of us very soon.

Health

The tricky part about getting comfortable in a relationship is that you instinctually start to take less care of yourself. You want to eat ice cream together and eat fancy meals and have fun playing games late into the night. You therefore forget to workout or take things like eating healthy into account. Add a dollop of cancer and a very work intensive year to that and you can kiss looking good farewell.

Luckily, Carl and I have made a pact that we will become healthy this year. We’ve started eating healthier and are working out at least three times a week which, for now, is a success unto itself.

Positivity

I have, in the past, had a bad habit of surrounding myself with negativity. From my own often grim view of the world to others around me who are less that optimistic about the state of things, I fill the space around my life with those who are permanently in a downward spiral. For their sakes I won’t go into much detail but last year I was forced to cut several of these people from my life which is never easy.

This year, I have promised myself to have more friends and positivity available to me, taking time to see those I care for and who I know care for me, and for the right reasons. It seems small and silly at times but the small change of “who you spend time with” can make a massive difference in your life.

Reading

Last year I found that all the time I spent trying to write a book made it nearly impossible to actually read one. This year I have already turned that around, reading two books in December and continuing that trend into the new year. I think to be a good writer, it is important to take in other forms of media, be it novels, video games, movies, television or comics. I hope to consume as much of this as possible this year. Who knows, maybe I’ll even post reviews or thoughts on these as the year continues.

The year to come

So that’s where I stand. Those of you who have read this blog in the past are probably looking for comedy or sarcasm and I guarantee there is sure to be more of that in the future. I’m always going to want to laugh and make others laugh but what I hope I can bring you this year is less funny for the sake of laughs and more honesty. Often times last year I found myself not writing a blog post because I “didn’t think it would be funny enough” but that shouldn’t be a factor. What I write here is simply to share the experience of a writer trying to tell stories that readers enjoy. Sometimes that is funny. Sometimes it’s not. Either way, I can’t wait to see what this year has in store.