So, how has the new year treated you so far? If you’re like me, you’re happy to see 2019 in the rearview mirror. It’s not that the year was terrible; I’ve had much worse. But when it comes to blogging, yeah 2019 can easily be beat.

But what should I be blogging about? I’m not a negative person.

During 2019, a favorite pet died (our at-least-24-year-old tortoise-shell rescue tabby cat), a favorite website died (the much beloved AgentQuery Connect), and frankly a lot of my energy was depleted before last winter was over.  

I’m not the type to wallow in despair, and even though my household began 2020 with a challenging health situation, I found myself practically jogging to work the other day. And I hadn’t even had any coffee yet!

I still had that energy when I was heading home and reading a book about how to improve as an independent publisher. After all, it’s that return commute when I am most able to focus on Elephant’s Bookshelf Press.

And it’s that energy that I’m hoping to bring to blogging in the new year, as well as to publishing.

Those of you who’ve read my blogs over the years probably recognize my seemingly annual “I’m going to blog more consistently this year” resolution. Yeah, I make that resolution a lot.

Of course, if I were blogging more consistently, I wouldn’t have to have the same resolution year after year.

But one reason I think it will be accomplished is because I’ve been thinking about you.

Yes, you! You know who you are.

You’re the one who reads these blog posts. You even send an email occasionally, when I ask a question (which I should do more often).

Let’s face it, we’re writers! We like to write emails. Even pithy ones that are short on words but long on witticism. I love those!

From my perspective, 2019 was also a year of new beginnings. I began to write a new novel, for example. I’m excited about it, and I’ll share more with you as things progress. I began 2020 with more than 22,000 words on the manuscript, so I’m not even halfway through it.

I might have had more words written, but I also re-established EBP’s focus on short story anthologies. I love short stories. I always have.

In Flight, I also got to explore my love of science fiction.

Mind you, anthologies are hard to market and sell. And science fiction is a highly competitive genre. But if you believe the stories and the authors deserve an audience, then there’s not any excuse. Publish the damn things!

That’s going to be a recurring theme in 2020, too, as we’re preparing to publish R.S. Mellette’s next novel, Dark Star Warrior: The Morian Treasure. So far, the few people who’ve received a sneak peek have loved it. We have more announcements about DSW to come, too.

In 2019, I also helped launch a new website for writers: QueryConnection. It was established in October by another fellow AQCer, C.M. Fick, and I’m going to have things to share there about what’s going on there, too. In fact, I should have another post in the next couple days about a new online event we’re pushing. (There’ll even be a raffle involved!)

If you’re a writer who wants to learn how to turn your ideas into publishable works, we’d love to have you join us. It doesn’t cost anything.

Like AQC before it (and for that matter, like From the Write Angle, one of my other late, beloved writing homes), what you put into it is your perspective and willingness to share and learn from your peers – and perhaps a few folks who’ve been around the authorial block.

So, like I said at the beginning, I’m happy to see 2019 in the rearview mirror. Because 2020 looks like it’s going to be a heck of a ride!

Talk to you all soon!

PS: What is your favorite science fiction book or series and why?