Resolutions : January 10, 2026

January 2026

Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash

Resolutions! Have you made your resolutions yet? This year will be full of excitement and wonder. Sometimes, I wonder what will be next in my author career. I know that the resolutions we set sometimes do not come to fruition. We often say we ought to… and we will… statements but the future is something that we can not predict.

However, it is good to have goals with the expectation that you may or may not complete them, but you stay on track to attempt your goals. If you make the goal, that is great. If you do not, that is okay too. You must give yourself grace.

For instance, I have lots of stories in the hopper to publish but I am working on one book that has lots of characters which can take some time with the illustration process, which is okay.

For me, it is not about quantity but the quality of the book that counts. Any enjoyable book that I publish on Amazon and Ingram Spark must be of the utmost quality done with love, sweat, patience, and grace. There are so many books out there on the various platforms and stores. As a self-published author, this can be overwhelming. However, you press on regardless.

This year I have decided that for the first quarter or so, I will focus on publishing Book 13 with another author and working on Book 14. In addition, I have some video trailers that I want to have released.

I am so excited to be part of the World Read Aloud Day on February 4^th, 2026. So far, I have had several requests to read virtually which I am excited about this opportunity  (https://www.litworld.org/world-read-aloud-day) to include several Texas schools and India. Thank you to Kate Messner , Author (https://katemessner.com/) and Lit World (https://www.litworld.org/ ) for allowing me to participate virtually in the World Read Aloud Day.

Another opportunity for me this quarter is the chance to be a guest on several podcasts. This is chance for me to increase my audience so that others can see the journey that I have traveled on and want to travel on.

During this year, I will hopefully attend the Oklahoma Writer’s Conference and participate in a writing contest ( www.owfi.org )  and other fun activities that the conference offers. This is the annual conference that offers authors chances to meet with other authors, vendors, and sessions with industry professionals. I better get busy turning some stories into the writing contest since I participate annually.

I also want to participate in the National Creative Arts Festival Creative Writing Contest this year. Last year, I missed the deadline since I did not know what date locally that I would have had to turn in my stories.

Furthermore, I did put in two stories for prompts for a Flash Fiction Anthology. I loved having the opportunity through Diana Kathryn Penn and Pages Promotions (https://www.pagespromotions.com/) to be a part of several anthologies. I know this is a fantastic opportunity for my growth as a writer. She has done a tremendous job putting all the anthologies together with her busy schedule. I also hope to be able to participate in the next Indie Reads Aloud podcast (https://www.dkpwriter.com/indie-reads-aloud-podcast) when my new book is released.

Finally, I am collaborating with the illustrator on Book 13 this month on some changes which I hope will be acceptable. Both MaKenzi Fox and I are really looking forward to the end result when it comes out. This is why patience is so important because an illustrator really does make the book come to life along with the text. This is why it is important to have the illustrations make the book “sparkle.”

Until the next blog, I am an “author on the move.” I hope that you will prosper and have many blessings in 2026.