2015 began with a bang as Amaskan’s Blood went out into the world, hit several Amazon Top 100 Bestseller lists, and brought my first book launch event. I had mighty plans for 2015–grandiose plans of writing, writing, and writing. A broken wrist, a regional book tour, and conventions gnawed at my writing time. A flooded condo, selling the condo, and looking for a home Eastside swallowed my time whole and without ketchup. So what else happened in 2015? What’s happening in 2016?

In 2015, as an author, I:

• had three novels published (Amaskan’s Blood, Class-M Exile, & Joy to the Worlds)
• wrote 105,000 fiction words (which isn’t near as many as I wanted to write)
• wrote another 91,000 words in blog posts and game reviews
• edited/revised 3 novels
• critiqued 3 novels and 15 short stories for other writers
• completed my first book tour + 2 other book releases
• taught and moderated my first writing workshop with authors I admire (Cat Rambo, Jennifer Brozek, & Tina Connolly)
• served as a panelist and/or moderator on 11 panels, including one with the fabulous Todd McCaffrey
• attended 8 conventions/conferences
• attended my first Worldcon
• was a guest on five podcasts
• was interviewed by 13 websites/magazines
• wrote 14 guest articles, for a total of 12,000 words
• written 21 newsletters for The Conspiracy, my mailing list
• continued participating in 12 Months of Charities
• got invited to be one of many Guests of Honor at the upcoming We are all SF con in 2016
• been invited to be a panelist at 2 conventions in 2016 (and this total will likely go up)
• read 20 books this year for enjoyment (which is also depressingly low for me)
• played & reviewed 32 games
• watched 8 awesome new series/shows

Other Things I Accomplished:

• Dealt with the flooded condo, then sold it
• Found a new house, which provided it makes it through inspection, will be ours sometime in February!

What I Learned from All of This:

• Touring is hard and exhausting.
• Promoting books (which includes being a panelist at conventions so you gain exposure) eats into my writing time
• I need to find better ways to use time wisely when it comes to the promoting and connecting with readers aspect
• I need to figure out a software program or something to use to help me prep and keep track of my taxes better as a self-employed person. I suck at this! Any tips?

What’s Ahead in 2016:

• Amaskan’s War release
• The Eldest Silence release
• More conventions and panels
• More game reviews

I thought I’d end this with a picture. This name plate is from my first panel. Somehow, it ended up in the washing machine. Erik (my husband) felt horrible that it was all ragged and damaged, but I told him it was fine.

Like most of my life–the name plate was still functional, if not a little rumpled. That has been my 2015 Rumpled Review. Happy New Year Everyone!