Hello, darlings.

Every year, I choose a word or phrase to set my intention for the year. In the past, I’ve had a Year of Balance, a Year of Yes, and even a Year of Bad Decisions, (which, quite frankly, turned out just fine and took a lot of the pressure off of my constant desire for perfect decisions). I struggled through them of December looking for a word for this year.  And then it happened. I read Elizabeth Gilbert’s newest book Big Magic. And just like that, I knew I’d found a winner.

And so it is that Twenty Sixteen has become my Year of Big Magic, or in twitter-speak, my #YearofBigMagic.  This is my year to live as creatively as possible.

There are exciting things on the horizon, and I’m tickled to have you along for the ride.

I finished writing my memoir, Adventures in Dating, last year, and I am determined to have it published this year. With help from the ever-talented and strategically-connected Rockelle Henderson at Rock Inked, Inc., I am exploring traditional publishing. At the same time, I am open to adding the title “Indie Author” to my list of mad skills. I’m throwing it all out to the universe and waiting to see what comes back.

I am writing a romantic suspense trilogy, (which might actually be women’s fiction – this genre business can be pretty confusing), which tells the story of three best friends who face some of life’s toughest crises, and with the help and love of friends and family, they find second chances and lasting love. And really, isn’t that what we all want? Second chances and lasting love?  Let’s hear it for Happily Ever Afters!

I’m learning everything I can from my amazingly insightful and ever-encouraging life coach Sarah Mastriani-Levi of Mannafest Living. Sarah and I have a fun chat about the simple changes we mapped out in my quest for Big Magic on her podcast, appropriately named Simple Change. Grab a cup of tea or a glass of wine and listen along.

The only thing I love more than writing is reading, and I’m going to spend the year talking to authors and seeing what they have to say about the writing process. What works for them? What have they tried that didn’t work? Did they go Traditional or Indie? For me, I always want to know two things: why did you do something and how did it work out for you? And because I love sharing my favorite authors with my friends, I’m going to give away copies of their books, too. (Sneak preview – the first author interview will be with L.K. McCall who published Sway of the Siren in 2015.)

In addition to the trilogy and this blog, I’m exploring other ways to share some of the fantastic things I’m learning along the way about better ways to love and to write. What do you like best?  Ebooks?  Webinars?  Podcasts?

It’s going to be a helluva ride! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

In the meantime, keep your thoughts,