Last time I posted it was my year in review, so this time I
thought I'd lay out the year ahead of me. My personal goals aside, I have quite
a few professional goals I'd like to make happen this year. Most importantly
will be writing more books. I'd like to have 3 releases under my belt this
year, not counting the book I'm contracted for. I'd also like to submit at
least one more thing to my publisher, but since this is about self-publishing
let's just stick to that.
I'm currently working on a co-writing project with
Alexandra. Hoping for that to be released some time in Spring, but for my solo
projects I am working on Waking Up In Chains (book two in my Arcadian Veil
series) which is paranormal romance, Mirage which is a paranormal erotic
romance, and Steamworks- a steampunk BDSM novel.
Steampunk BDSM, you ask? It's a genre that has some very
stiff cons but I think and hope I can do it right and put a new spin on some
familiar tropes. First risk is that most people think that BDSM books are all
about weak females (which it's not) and that steampunk is a genre about
empowered females (which is very true). I happen to view both of these genres
as having strong females (when written correctly and not having the female act
like a wet noodle) and I think that my story fits the way I view things. It
shows that there can be strength in submission and women who submit aren't
always treated like children by their Doms. And that a good spanking with
handcuffs can be fun. The other risk with writing in this genre is being
compared to other authors. It seems that the BDSM genre really suffers from
this type of stereotyping more so than any other genre. If I were to say to
someone "I write science fiction." Most people would not respond with
"Oh are you trying to be the next Orson Scott Card?" But if I say to
people "I write Erotica." Or "I write BDSM." The first
thing out of 95% of people is something snarky like "Oh are you trying to
be the next EL James?" or "So you write that 50 Shades of Grey
stuff?"
I don’t want to be compared to anyone else, I want to be my
own person without having the cloud of everyone else thinking I'm trying to
stick the same stuck pig to bleed out some money. It's about telling a story,
one I want to read, one that is in my heart and my head, one that these voices
tell me constantly and it is just my job to type it all out and hope one or two
people read it and say "Wow, I really enjoyed that."
Bottom line is this: In 2009 I found my bliss again,
writing. It's something that everyone in my day-to-day life told me I was never
good enough for and that I could never do it. In 2010 I started to believe that
I could write but only as a hobby. By 2011-12 I knew I wanted writing to be my
career, but I still wasn't sure if I had what it would take. I listened to
others tell me I was "okay at writing" but that I'd never be
"one of the greats" I'd never be "elite" (whatever that
means). But luckily I had some great ladies who told me the opposite, who said
"You can do this. You are talented." 2013 was an up and down year but
in the end I stood up and put myself out there and it paid off and now I have
the belief I needed in myself. 2014 is my time to make it happen, learn, fall down, pick
myself back up, and keep going.
But the one thing I couldn't do it all without is my friends
and my kids. They are my much needed support system, they help me, encourage
me, and stand by me. Which is a damn good feeling.
This year will be nothing but hard work, drive, and positive
thinking.
