Happy New Year!

Hello 2021! It’s nice to see you! What the heck took you so long??

Seriously, we’ve all been ready to show 2020 the door for quite a while now, haven’t we? However, as I noted in my previous blog post, I had much to be grateful for in 2020; it wasn’t all bad. The most important thing is that my family and friends are safe, healthy, and happy (if not a little frustrated), and the Jane Austen community continues to provide wonderful distractions. What more could a girl ask for? But now it’s time to move on, and I’m looking forward to the new projects and opportunities that come along with a shiny new year.

First up: I’ll be self-publishing a new Austen-inspired variation in May (fingers crossed), called An Unexpected Harvest. I’ll begin posting chapters here on January 8. It will have its own page, where I’ll continue to add chapters, all the way through chapter nine. The idea behind this is to give readers—especially the Regency fans who might be hesitant to try a contemporary novel—the opportunity to ‘sample’ one, without the commitment of buying or borrowing. And for those of you who already love contemporary stories, well, I’m just hoping to whet your appetite! An Unexpected Harvest is inspired by Pride and Prejudice, and is probably the closest I’ve come to Canon. However, in saying that, I admit to having loads of fun with the ‘cast’ and turning things a bit upside down, and the story does veer off in its own direction eventually. If you’d like to know a bit more about it, there’s a brief blurb here, and soon enough you’ll see memes and things popping up on my Facebook and Instagram pages.

Also in 2021…I’m finally going to dive into editing the very first story I wrote, called Dance the Tide. I have to be honest, it’s a hot mess! But that particular Darcy and Elizabeth have a special place in my heart as my OG ODC, and I think they deserve to have their moment in the sun.

And I’ve been saying this for a while now, but I’m really going to try to get further along in my writing endeavors. I have two contemporary stories in the works—one that is P&P inspired, and one that seems to be leaning a bit more toward Persuasion—and I need to decide which will receive my attention first. And I’m feeling like I want to take on the challenge of writing a Regency (a massive challenge for me, anyway), but whenever I think about it, my stomach clenches and I break out in a cold sweat. Should I take that as a hint? Hm.

Other than that, my hopes for 2021 (I refuse to call them resolutions) are: to focus more on my physical well-being, as working out and eating healthy seem to have fallen by the wayside over the past few months. I need to get back on track! And I hope to read more. My TBR pile is monstrous and my Kindle is filled with books, both JAFF and non-JAFF, that haven’t even been opened yet. If only I could quit my day job and read and write for a living… Sigh. A girl can dream.

What about you? What are you looking forward to in 2021? What are your hopes and plans (or resolutions, if you make them)? Drop me a comment and let me know!

May 2021 be your happiest year yet. Peace.