The closing of one year and the opening of another is always a natural time to reflect. As I look back, I realize 2015 was a tough year in many ways. My family and I experienced the death of our sweet and very loving fourteen year old niece. That's way too young for anyone to die. Only days later, my beloved Jack Russell Terrier mysteriously disappeared. At a time when I needed the comfort of my velcro dog the most, he was gone. ​Add in a broken fibula which took away riding my horse, and I buried myself in my writing. Burying oneself in writing is not necessarily a bad thing. I accomplished the publishing of Lena's Courage, the second book in my Spirited Hearts Series. Along the way my leg healed, and I forgave my horse for bucking me off. So I was riding again. Finally after six months of the disappearance my beloved Jetson, I adopted a rescue dog, Saga. She's so different from my JRT but a love in her own way.
​Then my family and I took a trip, just the four of us, not to see more family, not to attend a horse event or a funeral, but just a trip for us, to do exactly what we wanted to do and be together before the oldest flies the coop. The venture to The Big Apple, which will go down in our family annals as a trip of many firsts,  ignited a love for NYC in our oldest daughter. Who would have thought?
​ Meanwhile, all throughout 2015, my brain was churning on my books, how to market them, how to sell more, how to reach readers, how to engage readers all with an eye to sell, sell, sell. I learned lots of strategies, where to advertise, when to advertise, how to track clicks on an ad, but for all I learned, I was driving myself crazy because I wasn't seeing the results I thought I should see. Then when a reader disappointed me in a way that I shouldn't care, I knew I had to take a step back. I had to return to writing for the reasons I'd initially started writing -- to tell a story, to immerse myself in a craft that I love, a craft which continually fascinates me, and hopefully one day I will master to the best of my ability. So in 2016, I'm letting go of all the worries of marketing and selling and reaching readers. Instead I am choosing to be present to ALL of the wonderful things in my life -- books and readers included of course. But I'm hoping this approach will allow a natural balance to occur that will nurture and sustain me mentally, physically and emotionally. And if I sell a book or two, well, that will be a bonus. :)