March Madness!

Well, would you look at that? We’ve moved on from February and find ourselves at the bright beginning of a brand new month! I’ve always like March, mostly because my birthday’s toward the end of it, and my anniversary with my wonderful boyfriend is at the beginning of it. And, because I’m sure she’ll mention it, it’s also the month of my mom‘s birthday. It’s also the month where minds turn toward spring, even if there’s still snow falling out my window as I type this. With each month, I want to do a post where I sort of sit down with my goals and decide what needs to be accomplished for the next thirty-one days.

Of course, a new month also means a new Featured Story from World Unknown Review. This month, it’s the psychological and atmospheric “A Splash of Red” from Shan Jeniah Burton. Check it out, and consider checking out Shan or the rest of the stories in the review if you like what you see.

Speaking of which, another goal I have in mind is to at least sell one book each month. Ambitious, I know! But sales have been pretty abysmal all around, so I figure if one new book goes out at least once a month, that’s still not too bad. Of course, I’ll be happy with more, but expect a bit of promotion from me until I reach that one-book benchmark. Or some kind soul could kick the month off right by finally adding one of these fine books to their TBR pile. Or share a review. Or spread the love on social media. Or make me slog through my own promotion and not rely on luck to help me out, ha.

March is also going to be the month where I finally get the first draft for the next installment of The Slayer Saga finished. Keep an eye out for the end of the month, when I’ll likely be looking for beta readers for Heartless. Having read Soulless is not a requirement; in fact, I’d love to have some perspective from someone who hasn’t read the first book as well, as I’m a big believer in books that don’t have to be read in sequential order to be enjoyed, even if a sequential order is established. But of course, more on that later. I’ve got some more writing and transcribing and my own first edits to take care of first!

I’ve been focusing a lot of getting my short work out lately, sending out a story practically every day (though I’m running short on material again as I wait to hear back). I’m also waiting on my copy of The Maine Review to arrive, since apparently I’ll be in that one, the one shiny acceptance through the constant churning river of rejection. Still, I figure, by the time 2017 comes around, when I won’t have a Slayer Saga book to release, I’ll have more than enough for another anthology to publish myself.

Half-way through February, I also embarked on a mission to get healthier and finally lose all this extra weight I’ve been carrying around since college, so I’m likely to make a few posts regarding that. The first step has been to restrict calories and being mindful of exactly how much I am eating, and the second step has been to be more active, which has lead to really great three or four mile walks on the days that aren’t so bitter cold around here. Really, there are a lot of beautiful homes and places where I live, and I can’t wait for warmer weather because the Chicago suburbs has some pretty swank forest preserves. The next step, once my tax refund arrives (which should be ANY DAY NOW) is to get a scale and tape measure to actually get some hard data on my progress (we have a scale, but I want one that isn’t battery powered. One of my cats keeps falling asleep on the battery powered one and subsequently kills the battery) and a membership at a local gym. I really freaking miss ellipticals.

So, yes, lots of great things going into March for me, and I’m stoked to see where I’ll be in April. What are your own goals for March? Any particular things about the month that you enjoy? What do you really want to see happen come April?

Happy writing!