I haven’t posted for several weeks and, no, it wasn’t because I was working on my New Year’s resolutions. I don’t remember ever doing resolutions. I guess I know myself well enough to know I wouldn’t keep them anyway. Today I read a column in the Sunday paper about resolutions. It suggested the reason we don’t keep them is because we set the bar too high, yet isn’t not making resolutions much like saying I never fail because I never try? The columnist also suggested we not beat ourselves up when we don’t stick to our resolutions. I’d like to add to that advice. First take a deep breath, slow down, and before you leap into making or remaking your resolutions (we are in the second week of January, so you’ve probably already given up going to the gym five days each week), step back and take a look at what you accomplished last year. We all need a few pats on the back for what we accomplished before we take on those bar-too-high tasks this year. Making a list of your accomplishments in 2016  and feeling good about them will set you up to consider tasks that you can accomplish. What you did last year will give you a better idea of what you might do this year. I am all about giving oneself some love every now and then, and what better time than now?

Here’s my list of some of what I did last year in my writing life:

1. Released the second book in the Laura Murphy Mysteries:

2. Finished the manuscript for the fourth book in the Eve Appel Mysteries which came out in the summer:

3. Wrote a Halloween themed story featuring Aunt Nozzie and the Grandmothers entitled “Bobbing for Murder” published in Happy Homicides: 4 Fall into Crime:

4. Wrote a number of “Tales from the Hay Loft” stories based upon my  childhood memories growing up on the farm for my blog:

5. Released the two books from my Big Lake Murder Mysteries (available as ebooks and paper):

6. Finished the manuscript for the fifth book in the Eve Apple Mysteries (release date March 15, 2017):

7. Took a rest:

And now, pats on the back, a deep breath, begin again.

End note: I intended to sign up for a membership at the fitness center, but put it off until late last week. To all of you who made the resolution to work out and then dropped it, your absence made it easier to get on the machines at the gym. Thank you.

Let’s hear what you deserve pats on the back for.

Next week on this blog: Good intentions for 2017 (no, not resolutions because that sounds too resolute).