2016 Goals & Plans

It's Day One of 2016, and I'm excited! As promised from my 2015 Recap post, I want to share my goals and plans for the year.

Reading Goals
Last year, my goal was to read 100 books, and I read 112. This year, I'm aiming for 120 books. That seems like a good increase that isn't too much higher than what I was able to read in 2015. I'm also hoping to read my Paperback Picks each month.

Writing Goals
IF all goes as planned, then I'll release five solos this year. I already have my YA Romance, Bending Under Pressure, pretty much ready to go. The next is Brittany & Trace's story, which will happen in two books and is an Anxiety/Depression NA Romance. After that, I plan to launch a new hockey romance series, Carolina Rebels, which will start with Noah & Meredith's book. And to finish off the year, a story where there's an age difference.

Last year, I experimented with having self-imposed deadlines. Turns out, deadlines are meant to be missed where I'm concerned. In 2016, I'm tossing out deadlines, but keeping my tentative plans. The key words being tentative and plans. I don't want to feel pressured or feel rushed. Considering I can make my own schedule, it only makes sense that I do so in a way that truly works for me. My goal for 2016 is to not freakout if I have to rearrange some things or if I'm taking longer than I'd like to get something done.

Traveling Plans
I'll be leaving for a short trip to Pittsburgh on Monday, and then Mary & I are hitting up Dallas in March and Chicago in the fall. I'll also be going on a Alaskan cruise research trip. Lastly, I'll be heading to Charlotte for Carolina Book Bash in October. I'm so excited about all those trips, and hopefully, I'll be planning a vacation at some point. It's going to be a busy year, and I'll need to make time to take a break.

Personal Goals
I have no idea what I want to accomplish personally. I'll be going to school part-time in the fall to be able to focus more on my writing. This allows me to keep going to school, but lowers the stress that comes from being a full-time student and a full-time writer. I feel like 2015 was a great year personally, and if I could just maintain doing well, then I'll be happy. I'm constantly growing and evolving, and I'm hoping 2016 is the year where I continue to do so.

That's it for me! What are some of your goals and plans for 2016?

Because I Like Making Lists & Goals

The first day of summer is June 21. That's practically right around the corner! I can't believe how fast this year has flown by. It seems like just yesterday I was having to remember to write 2013 and not 2012. Back to the point of this post, I figured I would make a list of goals for the summer for two reasons.

One, as the title of this post states, I like making lists and goals.

Two, I'm going back to college in the fall and I need to get some things accomplished before I start school. I'm planning on taking 7 classes (4 online, 3 face-to-face) and I'm not sure how busy it will keep me. The summer is going to be the time for me to get what I want to do this year done, especially with school taking over in August.