I don’t make New Year’s resolutions. I make goals for the year. If I don’t reach my goal, I carry it over to the next year. I’ve been doing this for several years and it works for me.

I started 2012 frustrated. I accomplished a lot, but felt like my writing career had stalled. Self-publishing became more and more difficult. I spent too much time marketing (with little results) and not enough time writing. And the Black Cloud of going back to a day job rolled ever closer. I needed help. Fortunately, I found it.

2012 Goals:

Finish my next short story collection and get it published by someone other than me.

Start writing another novel.

Learn more about marketing. Rely on Twitter less. Make better use of Facebook, Google +, and Triberr.  (Still have lots to learn, but my focus this year will be offline marketing.)

Read more! (I downloaded dozens of books and read three of them. So, I’ll carry this goal over to next year.)

2012 Accomplishments:

April – signed with Evolved Publishing. Black Cloud says good luck. *sarcasm*

June – re-released Tell Me You Want Me. Sold 32 copies in its first week. Black Cloud mocks me.

July – sold 288 copies. I celebrate reaching triple digit sales for first time. Black Cloud ROFL.

August – released Her Twisted Pleasures. Sold 2000+ books. Black Cloud cowers behind the mountains.

September – sold over 4000 books. Tell Me made the Romance Top 100 on Amazon. Black Cloud runs away screaming.

October – re-released Secret Storm. Made Top 5k on Amazon. What Black Cloud?

November – re-released The Devil Made Me Do It. Her Twisted Pleasures named Award-Winning Finalist in the ‘Fiction: Erotica’ category of The 2012 USA Best Book Awards, sponsored by USA Book News. Fluffy white cotton candy clouds. So pretty.

But my biggest accomplishment—the goal I’ve been working toward all my life—is making a living as a romance writer. I did it! Clear blue sunny skies. (Now I just have to keep doing it.)

2013 Goals:

Publish The Twisted Mosaic, books 2 and 3: Their Twisted Love and His Twisted Lesson.

Start writing Ramsay series. (Meet Billy Ramsay in The Devil Made Me Do It: Under His Kilt.)

Get Secret Storm into Amazon’s Romance Top 100. This is my favorite book. I like it even better than Tell Me.

Work on getting books into brick and mortar stores. Do book signings and appearances. Go to RomCon 2013 as author.

Continue to build Trashy brand, name recognition. Expose myself! Um… wait.

Deal with clouds as they approach. Don’t fear them.

What did you accomplish this year? What are your goals for 2013?