A week ago I was goofing off on Twitter … I mean taking a brief, but necessary writing break … when I saw a graphic floating by that said, “A year ago, I would’ve never pictured my life the way it is now.” In that moment I realized how profoundly true those words were about my life and this past year. I posted the words and how they impacted me on Facebook (the Facebook post is at the bottom of this post.) And those words got me thinking … first in a retrospective manner about the past, but then looking forward at the year to come. Where will I be a year from now?

The one sure-fire certainty I have is that I will not be in the same place I am today. And today isn’t a bad place. In fact, based on where I was a year ago, today is a pretty comfy and nice place to be. I just can’t stay here. Why? Because my base nature wants things to be changing all the time. If I didn’t keep moving forward, or at least trying, I’d go crazy … okay, crazier. I have goals I haven’t reached yet and the thought of NOT striving toward them gives me the willies. My mind rebels and threatens to explode and my spirits plummet. So what happens when I achieve my goals? I set new ones, of course.

For the past year, I have been working hard on my writing career, and things are falling into place to rocket to the next level next year. I’m super excited because next year will see the launch of the chapter book series, Timmy and the Golden Lion Tamarin, I coauthored with Luke Matthews. We are blessed to have the extreme artistic talent of Marie Beschorner on the team — her illustrations will knock your socks off. And my agent, Italia Gandolfo, kindly allowed me to post the below exciting news this past week.

And Timmy isn’t the only thing in the hopper for next year. We have so many things already planned for next year, Italia has asked me not to plan on additional writing projects. I’m still trying to bring my hyperventilation under control at the thought of not having a book to write planned. At the moment, I am focusing on getting a dark upper Young Adult novel finished. (I can’t wait until I can start talking about this one. It is absolutely awesome.) And I will definitely be working on the 3rd book in the Timmy and the Golden Lion Tamarin series after the dark upper YA. But after the chapter book … I don’t know (other than edits on the 2nd and 3rd Timmy books as well as the dark YA.) And nothing has the power to scare me more than the unknown.

The one thing I DO know is that I will be busy. We anticipate multiple titles out next year, so that alone should keep me hopping. (Italia has a fond dream of keeping me busy enough to not have time to play with Photoshop. Not happening. I play with Photoshop to help get my creative juices flowing.) And I’m sure the unexpected will crop up because no matter how well you plan things in life, the Universe likes throwing curve balls. If I’ve practiced enough, I should be able to knock those curve balls out of the park.

The best thing I can do is to keep my head down, keep working, follow our plan, and I’m hoping this time next year, when I pop my head up, turn around and look back, that I won’t even be able to see today because I will have come so far.

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