Crescent Ballroom in Phoenix

Before setting new goals, it’s important to look back at accomplishments and take a moment to celebrate them. I didn’t do everything I wanted to do in 2025, but I held on to my publishing streak (thirteen years running!) and restored the balance in my writing life that I’d vowed to focus on this time last year.

In that post from what feels like a lifetime ago, I wrote about the fact that I’d spent a year focused on my cozy mystery series and I needed space to imagine whole new stories, time to edit, publish, market, write, and time to just dream.

Mission accomplished. My writing stats from 2025 include drafting four new stories and one new essay, adding over 10,000 words to my current novel, blogging every month (except May), submitting work to three literary magazines (one successfully!), entering a contest, publishing a new motherhood piece, and performing in a spoken word event in December.

The last one is particularly meaningful. In April, I talked about the importance of having a writing community and how I felt I’d lost mine. Not being on social media makes it difficult not only to keep in touch with others but also to stay in-the-know about literary events. I hadn’t stood on a stage and read my work to an audience in over seven years.

In keeping with my resolution to stay more connected, I reached out to some old friends via email and was happily invited to participate in Bar Flies’ annual Eating Christmas public reading at Crescent Ballroom. It was lovely to see familiar faces and hear amazing stories, and to feel those once-familiar butterflies as I crossed the stage holding the pages of my new essay.

I have high hopes for 2026. I hope to stay connected, and to cross more stages. I hope to stay creative, and to write my heart out. There are so many stories to tell. Along the way, I’ll post here once a month and keep you updated. You didn’t think I was going to forget that, did you?