Blog

01 February

Blink Blog: New Year's Round-Up

The Blink Blog series is back!! This week, we checked in with our Blink authors to see how their New Year’s Resolutions are progressing as well as what their goals are for 2017. Keep reading below…

HOW ARE THOSE NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTIONS COMING ALONG?

Ashley Royer: I’m trying to eat healthier and learn to cook! So far, I’ve cooked chicken for the first time and butternut squash. They both came out great!

Christina June: This year, I didn’t make any resolutions.  I’m learning that I achieve more with smaller, more immediate goals.  That said, a general goal for this year is to fight for the things I believe in and set a good example for my daughter while doing so.

Evangeline Denmark:  Attempts to train Neville the kitten to battle Voldemort have been thwarted by the fact that Neville has not yet joined our household. We are still searching for him and remain hopeful. As for the rest of my resolutions, I’m working on my new book every day. I’m making new friends–with characters, not with people. I’ll keep working on that. And after an intense intervention, I’ve come to see that I can live my life without ever wearing the color lavender.

Joan Lester: My New Year’s resolution was to resume a monthly blog for SheWrites.com, a popular site aimed at women writers (and want-to-be writers). I’d committed  last summer to a monthly post and did write several, then let the fall go by without another til December.

Happily, I’m doing well with my goal. Published one in January, on “Pruning Your Prose,” with over 1,000 views already, and am working on two more to have ready to go for the next few months. Writing these craft essays is something I love when I take the time away from longer projects, and it’s a satisfying feeling to meet my commitment.  

Jonathan Friesen: Fantastic. I finally found the secret: Start your New Year’s Resolutions on December 1. That way, when you get to January, you already have a habit going, and if you blew it, you get a second chance. So I joined a health club on December 1. I’d gone twenty times before January rolled around. I’m doing great!

Lorie Langdon:  In place of a resolution this year, I chose a word. My word for 2017 is “wholehearted.” I see this as being present and living in each moment with my whole heart. A book I’m reading called, PRESENT OVER PERFECT has been a huge help and I feel like I’m making progress!

McHall Hoyle: This is the first year I haven’t made any real resolutions. In fact, I’ve made kind of an anti-resolution. My plan this year is to be quiet, to be still, to listen, to observe, and above all, to be grateful. I’ve wasted too much of my life reaching and striving and yearning for things I wanted. This year, I plan to spend my time observing, appreciating, and enjoying life.

Stephanie Morrill: This year for New Years I decided to focus on developing several habits rather than creating goals. One is writing every day, which hasn’t been too hard since it’s something I love. But it’s easy to let it get squeezed out when I’m in the middle of a marketing season. Another habit I’ve created is carving out specific times of the day to be present to my children. I’ve been getting up early to have breakfast with them before school, and then I’ve been having “tea time” with them after they get home. Only one of my kids actually likes tea, but they all like to be gathered around the table together.

WHAT ARE YOU MOST LOOKING FORWARD TO IN 2017?

Ashley Royer: I am looking forward to my book Remember to Forget coming out in paper back and different languages! I love the new cover, and I’m very excited for the release.

Christina June: I’m super excited, obviously, that IT STARTED WITH GOODBYE, launches in just a few months.  I’m also looking forward to taking my family on a stealth trip to Disney World and later on, attending book festivals and speaking on panels with fellow authors.

Evangeline Denmark: Finishing a novel. Maybe two?

Joan Lester: I’m looking forward to selling a memoir this year. I’ve spent two years on Dare to Write, about my journey to taking my writing seriously enough to become a published author. I’ve just completed what I hope is the final revision. We’ll see what my agent thinks!

Jonathan Friesen:  I’m heading to Alaska. I’ve never been. If you are reading this and you live in Alaska, you are probably thinking this is not much of a goal. But for me it’s really cool. I’m bringing my youngest, and I told him I needed him for Grizzly bear bait. He didn’t seem frightened. He said, “I just have to run faster than you, and then you’re the bait.” Smart kid.

Lorie Langdon: In 2017, I’ll be teaching a writer’s workshop in Ireland!!! You could tour the countryside and sharpen your writing craft with me! We have a few spots left! Get the deets at http://www.irelandwritertours.com/

McCall Hoyle: Let’s see… just kidding. I am so looking forward to sharing The Thing with Feathers, the book of my heart, with readers that I can barely stand it.

Stephanie Morrill: I have several things! One is The Lost Girl of Astor Street releasing. This book has been on my heart and in the works for several years now, so it’s amazing to think it’ll finally be on shelves! Another is that my six-year-old son has been on a medical diet for two years to control his epilepsy. This year we get to do an extended EEG to see how his seizure activity is. If he looks good, then we can try weaning from the diet. It’s a very strict, very time consuming diet, so I’m excited for a lot of reasons!