Mid-Year Check-In: 2015 Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour

2015 Merry Go Round Blog TourIt can be easy when looking forward to see everything you have still to do and despair. It’s one of the reasons I do monthly goals on Forward Motion. The goals matter less than the review at the end of the month which gives me a glimmer of just how much I’ve accomplished…whether directly related to those goals or not.

So, here we are halfway through the year. I know I have a lot more to do before the annual clock ticks over, but what have I accomplished?

On the writing front:

  1. I wrote the How Beer Saved the World, Book 2 story in January.
  2. I finished writing Uncommon Lords and Ladies, Book 3 in January (started in November).
  3. I wrote The Steamship Chronicles, Book 4 from March to June.
  4. I am now writing Apprentice (Seeds Among the Stars, Book 3).

On the editing front:

  1. I edited Trainee (Seeds Among the Stars, Book 2) to publication quality in January-February.
  2. I edited the How Beer Saved the World, Book 2 story to submission quality in February.
  3. I edited Gifts to publication quality in April-June.
  4. I started the first editing stage of Uncommon Lords and Ladies, Book 3 in June.
  5. I also started the editing process on a bunch of short stories across the half year.

On the publishing front:

  1. I re-released the new cover and format for Safe Haven (The Steamship Chronicles prequel in January.
  2. I sold a short story to the How Beer Saved the World, Book 2 anthology in February.
  3. I released Trainee (Seeds Among the Stars, Book 2) in March.
  4. I am preparing to release Gifts (The Steamship Chronicles, Book 3) as we speak.

On the reading front:
I have read 29 works, all but three of the full-length novels, and am in the middle of Rebellion: The History of England from James I to the Glorious Revolution by Peter Ackroyd, a non-fiction work. The books span the following genres: historical, romance (of many varieties), inspirational, science fiction, fantasy, literary, and non-fiction. If you want to learn what I thought, check out the reviews page. However, I can say with confidence that I have yet to run into a book this year that did not meet my standards for review (basically, I must find the book more enjoyable than not).

Other things:

  1. I am in the process of a major redesign for my website, some of which has been released like the new publications display you can see in short on the home page and under the My Publications menu. Most of the changes involve making it easier on me, but as you can see on the TTO Publishing view, it also allows me to show you what’s coming soon.
  2. My older son graduated college and is starting to make his way in the world, something both inspiring and terrifying as a parent.
  3. I completed the cover art for two books, Trainee and Gifts, and am happy with both of them.
  4. I had a wonderful time at Baycon 2015, as I always do.
  5. Thanks to a change in my husband’s job, I was able to visit my parents and sisters several times this year.
  6. I worked a booth at the Reno Earth Day Festival for the first time which was a lovely experience as I met many people who became readers and enjoyed the day with three other local authors.
  7. My books are now carried by Sundance Books and Music, a beautiful indie bookstore in downtown Reno.
  8. I successfully participated in three writing challenges: FM’s March Madness, April Camp NaNo, and wrote 5 short stories in FM’s Story a Day.

While many of the above count as highlights, especially how both my sons have been able to find jobs in their dream fields, here are some others that deserve extra attention:

  1. I received some lovely feedback from my readers, which makes all the writing efforts worthwhile.
  2. I made some new friends with whom I hope to enjoy years of happiness
  3. My 1990 Toyota Corolla Wagon is now officially a classic (something I’ve known since shortly after I bought her :)).

Going back to what I said at the top, yes, there’s much still to do before I can declare the year a success. However, as you can see, much has been done already, making the first half a success even though some items took longer than expected and I have a little catching up to do.

How has your year been going? In the terms of my Smile posts, what’s one thing that made you smile in the first half of 2015?

Today’s post was inspired by the topic “Mid-Year Check-In” — July’s topic in Forward Motion’s Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour. Read the thoughts of nearly twenty different authors at various stages in their careers on this same topic. The next posts in the series are by Lisa Janice Cohen and Bonnie R. Schultzman.

Check out the Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour to learn more. You can find links to all of the posts on the tour on the group site. Read and enjoy!

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4 Responses to Mid-Year Check-In: 2015 Merry-Go-Round Blog Tour

  1. You’ve had a fabulous first half of the year! May the second half be even better for you! 🙂

    One thing that made me smile was taking a leap of faith out of my SFF comfort zone and finishing my first literary fiction novel. I don’t think I stopped smiling the whole time I was writing it.

    • Margaret McGaffey Fisk says:

      Wonderful :). I’m a big believer in writing the story that calls to you, and you’ve always had a bit of a literary touch even in your spec fic. Some year I’ll finish my literary novel, but I started to write it in a different time and it includes then contemporary references that all need to find a modern equivalent :).

  2. Wow! Such a lot accomplished. Well done!

    • Margaret McGaffey Fisk says:

      Thanks. These reviews are quite effective in switching the emphasis…if temporarily…from “oh, gosh, I’m so behind!” ;).

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