It's been a crazy few months.

I wrote 70,000 words for NaNo in November, then kept working on the book in December and January. I'm finally to the final conflict and probably over 100,000 words, so it'll need to be cut back, but it gives me a lot to work with when I start editing. I've only had one other of my novels go this long and it was written over two Novembers. I need to add some chapters in the front and then consolidate, but the bones of the story are good.

In February, I published book five in my father's series, the "Development of the Violent Mind". It's the first book of his I put out since taking control of his first four books and publishing them in 2020.

I signed a contract shortly after taking back my dad's books for a documentary on my dad and his years of research. Then, with COVID, it was put on hold. The documentary came out last year and was really well-done. I wasn't able to do anything while we waited, as is customary. In February, I published a number of files and reports my dad collected on Ted Bundy. He thought they'd been destroyed when his basement flooded. I'm sorry he isn't here to see the finished product, but my daughter and I want to keep his legacy alive.

This week I put out my first collection of poetry. I wasn't sure how it would turn out when I started, but I'm very pleased with the end result. The collection contains 40 poems from 18 poets. A number of friends from my local writing groups and some from the SFPA submitted poetry. I'm grateful for their support and their creativity.

I also shared a table in the dealer’s room for LTUE with a friend. My husband, daughter, and son-in-law helped. Between the five of us we did really well—better than we have in the past and it was a lot of fun to hang out with Cody of Timber ghost Press.

That's the good part, and the creative part. But like everything else, there have been some downs. Life is like that.

I've had some positive comments on my poetry at one of my writing groups. I'm getting better with my rhyming poetry and my light verse—but not so much my more serious writing. I'm getting a few more sales, and a few short story sales, but I'm not putting out as much as I should.

In the day to day, it's still hard. Hard to come up with a subject for a poem, or a short story. Hard to think I'm done with one or the other, then go back over it and realize it still needs a lot of work. I like the ideas for my novels, but those need a lot of work, and there are a lot of things needing my attention, and life goes on.

I'm finally getting to a place in my life and in my writing where I want to write, but I'm not doing it every day. Not yet. I need to do better. I need to get more stuff out into the world. I need to submit to more places and put out more stuff. I need to finally be a writer and not let my fear of failure and my imposter syndrome get the better of me. Or let myself get sidetracked.

So, now that it's the end of March, here's to a new year and new possibilities!