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For this New Year (yes, I know a week has passed already) I am not making resolutions. I don’t believe I’ve ever made a resolution before. They just feel like promises I won’t keep or will eventually forget. So, for 2013, I will be making “Hopefuls” for this year. It feels like a lot less pressure, if you ask me. I’m still setting goals for myself, but I’m not going to beat myself up if I don’t achieve one thing or another. And a few of them won’t even be for myself. On that note…
5 of my Hopefuls for 2013
- Sell More Books – I’m not putting a number on this, because I am not Corporate America. I refuse to lay out a bunch of charts and graphs and analyze every last thing, much like they do at my place of employment. No one day of sales is like any other, because there are too many outside factors that no one can predict. I would just like to get more of my books into the hands of the right readers, and I would love to make a bit more money than I did in 2012.
- Query (and Convince) More Agents – I’m pretty sure I didn’t query ANY agents in 2012. I had jumped into the world of indie/self-publishing so fast that I just didn’t make the time. But now that my blog is up and rolling and I’ve got my social media profiles accessible to the world, I’m ready to juggle another couple balls. I have a fairly large project (a trilogy mixed with urban and high fantasy for teens to young adults) that I would love to find representation for. It’s a story I feel very passionate about, and one I know can go far in the traditionally published world. I just need to get off my rear and pursue it with as much passion as I have for it.
- Read More Books – And this time, I’m not counting the children’s books that I read to my son. I received a lovely Amazon gift card for Christmas (thanks Dad & Liz!) and I definitely plan on using it. For those of my author pals I’ve met here online, I will buying up whatever of your books I didn’t already snag during a giveaway.
- Teach My Son to Read & Write – I know this one could be a stretch. He’s only three years old, but he should at least know how to read and write his own name. And given the prerequisites for kindergarten, he’s going to need to know more than what most of us had to before we went to school. We plan to enroll him in a Pre-K program part-time when the time comes, but there are prerequisites for that as well. Lucky for me, he loves to read.
- Quit Smoking – Okay, so this one is more of a resolution. But I really want this – not just for me, but for my husband and son as well. I know my husband will quit if I do, and it’s key that we do it together. We’re just afraid of lashing out at each other or even our son in the process. My biggest problem areas will be when I’m home alone or at work. I tend to slip into that “sneaky teenager” mentality of “he won’t know if I have one or two” and ruin my chances for success. We’ll have to get our co-workers to rally around us, and (probably the hardest part) have faith in ourselves and each other. I want to have the energy to run and play with our son. I want to live to see him get married. I want to meet my grandchildren and run and play with them. Plus, I’m sure the rest of my family and non-smoking friends would love for us to quit as well.
I have more, but they’re personal. You understand.
What are some of your Hopefuls for 2013?
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And now, The Coffee Quiz! Thank you to Ben Trube at http://bentrubewriter.wordpress.com/ for tagging me. 
1) How many cups of coffee per day? 2 or 3
2) What is your favorite caffeine delivery system? I am guilty of loving Mountain Dew. I can’t help it. It’s just so tasty.
3) What was your best cup of coffee? A warm cup after being out in the winter cold is always the best cup of coffee.
4) What was your worst cup of coffee? Any coffee served at the mandatory meetings at work. Nasty.
5) What does your favorite mug say? My favorite mug is the top half of the snowman mugs my husband and I share.
6) How do you take your coffee? Lots of cream, lots of sugar.
7) When was your first cup? I think I was 16 when I had my first cup. We weren’t allowed caffeinated anything growing up, so I started grabbing a cup at the local coffee shop with my friends before school.
8) Have you ever gone on a coffee date? Not really. I went for coffee with my guy friends, but just as friends. These days, I usually only drink coffee at home.
At this time, I will now tag the following authors to surrender their deepest confessions to The Coffee Quiz:
- T.W. Dittmer at http://twdittmer.wordpress.com/
- Thomas Rydder at http://thomasrydder.wordpress.com/
- Erik Gustafson at http://erikgustafson.wordpress.com/
AND
- Teri Harvey at http://bflyzone.wordpress.com/
Enjoy your day everyone! 
T. W. Dittmer
/ January 8, 2013New Years is as good a time as any to make attempts at self-improvement. Even Popeye can progress.
Ooooh. Coffee.
easyondeyes
/ January 8, 2013All the best Mel! I hope u get all this year!
superphoenix
/ January 8, 2013Thinking about resolutions over a cup of coffee … nice.
paulaacton
/ January 8, 2013Stopping smoking is hard I have done just over two months now but still think about it every day. I think you have to get the mindset to recognise you get to a point when you want one but don’t need one and also work out how much money you are burning each year by smoking then make plans for spending it on something special – do not let all the money get sucked back into the household and paying bills I have a Jar where I am putting £1 per day from what I save specifically for books and one for shoes then some of the money I am saving is going into another account for saving for a rainy day
Ben Trube
/ January 8, 2013Thanks for keeping the coffee quiz going. I like the sound of that snowman mug (picture?).
M.S. Fowle
/ January 8, 2013Not a problem!
Here’s a link to the snowman mugs -> http://i423.photobucket.com/albums/pp316/MiceMailbox/HallMugs.jpg
Emma
/ January 8, 2013Good luck with quitting smoking. Think of all the extra money you’ll save
John the Aussie
/ January 8, 2013Save?? Think of what elese you can spend it on…
AshleyNicole
/ January 11, 2013Love this and have decided to make some hopefuls for myself as well.
victoriadougherty
/ January 14, 2013My hopefuls? Get more short stories published, wear lipstick more often, and go ice skating with my daughter more often. thanks MS.