A Writer's List of New Year's Resolutions

Dream Big for 2014. (Sunset over Pensacola Bay.)

Every New Year I make a mental list of New Year's Resolutions and then, as the year proceeds, I turn around and forget those resolutions one by one.

So why should 2014 be any different? Well, this New Year I'm going to write down some of those resolutions in my blog for the world to see and, hopefully, for me to remember.

Of course, it's not just about remembering those profound resolutions, it's about the doing too. Yesireee, it's the doing that's the hardest part, for sure.

So here goes, my List of New Year's Resolutions for 2014:

1) Write, write and write some more. (I can't be a writer if I don't write. Duh!)

2) Think good thoughts. (My mom says if I have good thoughts then I won't ever have any medical problems. I'm hoping it applies to writing too and I won't have any writing problems?)

3) Write every single day even if I delete it all the next day. (Best to delete the not-so-good writing of the day before so no ones sees it. Just sayin' ...)

4) Dream Big and then follow it up with some hard work. (Like writing my butt off.)

5) Eat, sleep and be merry. (Hey, it sounds good. Cheers!)

6) Finish all those zillions of short stories, novellas and novels pining away in my laptop. (Well, maybe not all of them, but at least a few.)

7) Publish more books in 2014. (More is better, so they say.)

8) Spend less time on Twitter. (This is a hard one. I happen to love Twitter.)

9) Read for inspiration. (Oh, this is an easy one. I always read, lots and lots of books.)

10) Keep the Faith. (I am a writer. I know how to write. I am going to write. Hip hip hooray!)

Now I have to admit these New Year's Resolutions are pretty lame, but if I follow them I will get some writing done and some of my works-in-progress finished and out there for my readers to enjoy.

In the meantime, wishin' y'all a very wonderful, awesome and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!! May your New Year be filled with peace, prosperity and lots and lots of books.

Christmas is not Christmas without Books

Santa on my bookshelf.

Ever since I was a little kid I've been asking for books at Christmas. Some years I've only gotten one or two and other years I've gotten bunches of books.

Well, my taste in reading has grown through the years. As a little kid I wanted Thumbelina, Madeline and fairy tales. In my early school days I wanted Hans Brinker - Or The Silver Skates, Savage Sam, Mary Poppins, A Wrinkle in Time, Thomasina, Nancy Drew books and so many others.

An old fashioned Santa on my bookshelf.

In my teens I wanted Gone with the Wind, The Thorn Birds, The Moon-Spinners, anything by James Michener and Taylor Caldwell, and lots of classics. In my college years I wanted history books and classics, including Tolstoy's Anna Karenina and War and Peace.

Even now, at my more "advanced" age, I still want books for Christmas. So Santa, I hope you're reading this, because I'd really, really, really love some books for Christmas.

Wishing y'all a very Merry Christmas and lots of great books under your Christmas tree.

Waiting for Santa

Santa at a local Christmas parade.

This time of year most of us are waiting for Santa. There are items on our wish lists that we hope to find under the Christmas Tree.

Even at my age, I still have a wish list. So what's on that list? Books, lots and lots of books, eBooks for my Kindle Fire and history books for my bookshelves. However, I have so many history books that I really need to add "Bookshelf" to my list too.

Will I get all those books on my wish list? Of course not, but I'll get a few even if I have to buy them myself.

Is there anything else on my Christmas list? Chocolate, chocolate and more chocolate. I love dark chocolate the best, but just about any kind of chocolate will do. Santa will most likely bring me a Whitman's Sampler and some Ghirardelli Chocolates.

Oh, and I'd like some fruitcake too. No, don't laugh, I'm one of those few people who actually loves fruitcake. When Santa comes to my house, that's one thing I always get. Yum!

Hmm! What else is on my list? CDs. I love music, particularly country music. Hunter Hayes' CD is one I'd love to have. But honestly, I'd be delighted with CDs by just about any country singer, including Taylor Swift, Kenny Chesney, Garth Brooks, Keith Urban, Carrie Underwood, Lady Antebellum, The Band Perry, Miranda Lambert, Alan Jackson, I could go on and on. Well, I'm pretty certain that Santa will bring me a CD or two or three.

Now back to those books I was talking about. Santa knows I need books and Christmas just isn't Christmas without books. I'd be perfectly content with an Amazon gift card (hint, hint, Santa I hope you're reading this).

If you're passionate about (addicted to) books like I am, then you might want to start an online wish list like mine at Amazon. I'm always adding books to the list, so it's always evolving. I read a variety of books: romances, historical fiction, literary fiction, history books. Believe me, my wish list of books is really really long.

Will Santa bring me any of those books on my list? Well, I can always hope so. But like I said, an Amazon gift card would be a perfect gift for me.

I'm no longer a kid, but hey, I'm still anxiously waiting for Santa. I hope you are too.