Happy New Year everybody and welcome to 2014!

Bear with me while I take one step back to wrap up 2013—a year that kept me hopping from beginning to end—what with the print versions of Chicago’s Headmistress and Free Danner now sitting on the bookshelf along with my previously published sagas, The Family Angel and Family Deceptions. Later in the year came the digital and paperback launching of my first chick lit novel, From the Savino Sister Mystery Series: Italy To Die For. Add to that mix 24 bi-weekly blogs, four book signings and a book club discussion that proved to be way too much fun.

No wonder my favorite indulgence, i.e., reading for pleasure, got short-changed these past twelve months. In any case, I give you my reading list for 2013, which contains several repeat authors I followed up with more reads because I enjoyed their earlier offerings.

Novels

Savage Dawn by Inge Moore

The Candidate’s Daughter by Catherine Lea

Passion Potion: A New Adult Paranormal Romance by Mary Beth Daniels

Me Again by Keith Cronin

A Pony for the Fair (A Gypsy Pony) by Inge Moore

The Woman Who Lived To Be 150 by Mary McPhee

Short Fiction Collections

Shorts by Keith Cronin

Death Toll by seven authors including J. H. Bográn and Stephen Leather

Short Stories

“Cowboys” by Inge Moore

“The Way God Made You” by Inge Moore

“Happy For A While” by Inge Moore

Non-Fiction

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain

My New Bible for Self-Publishing by Christiana Moore

Short Stories (hundreds) submitted to:

Allegory: Tri-annual on-line magazine of Sci-Fi, Fantasy, and Horror Edited by Ty Drago

In Queue to read in 2014:

Blitz Kid by Eliza Graham

Pursuing the Times by Laura Baratz-Logsted

Tony Partly Cloudy by Keith Cronin

Jacked Up! by J. A. Konrath

A Lonely Resurrection by Barry Eisler

Falling Under by Danielle Younge-Ullman

Hunting Season by J. E. Taylor

The Ghost of Calico Corners by Bonnie Turner

When I Was German by Alan Wynsel

Racing On A Wire by Inge Moore

A Textbook Case (A Lincoln Rhyme Story) by Jeffery Deaver

Of course, if I manage to read all these wonderful books and stories, how will I ever find time to meet my own goals for 2014? One at a time, or maybe I’ll have to multi-task. Or, create a clone that writes faster and better and never gets distracted. Writers more disciplined than I would say, “Turn off the TV.” What? And miss the new season for Dowton Abby?!? Mad Men, Game of Thrones, The Borgias, Boardwalk Empire, my daily dose of Imus in the Morning, The Chew? No way. Perhaps I could cut back on the vacuuming and furniture polishing. Eat out more often—hubby D would love that.

Excuses aside, over the next twelve months I will figure out some magic to accomplish most of the goals on my short list.

From the Savino Sisters Mystery Series: outline next two books, write and publish one of them.

Chicago’s Headmistress: continue the story where I left off with a sequel focusing on The Great Depression.

Loretta on Life: select and publish a mix of my favorite blogs from past years. A goal from last year I gave myself permission not to complete because I wanted to concentrate on The Savino Sisters Mystery Series. It’s all about prioritizing.

What about you? Any goals for 2014 you’d like to share?

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