At the end of every year, I like to take stock of what worked and what didn’t. Were there any major life changes, or accomplishments I want to celebrate? What are the missteps that I need to avoid in the coming year?

Here is my highlight reel for 2013:

1. I sold my first book, Going Down In Flames, to Entangled Publishing. I had my first experience with professional editing and it wasn’t terrifying.

2. I attended the UtopYa conference in Nashville and learned that there are a lot of quirky chicks like me who live to read and write.

3. I read a ton of books. Although I still haven’t recovered from Cassandra Clare’s evil genius. If you haven’t read, The Mortal Instruments Series, or the The Infernal Devices Series I highly recommend them. Just make sure you buy kleenex in bulk.

4. We adopted dog number 3, Molly the ever shedding yellow lab. My life is furrier and more hectic because of her, but the cuddles make up for it.

5. As always, my husband has been loving and supporting of my writing endeavors.

6. I have to mention Pete the Shitzu and Tyson the German Shepherd Beagle because they bring much joy and happiness to my life.

My Bloopers Reel for 2013

1. My dog Tyson had to have surgery to remove the chewies and the bag of carrots he’d swallowed whole. It was touch and go for a while, but he is in great health now.

2. I allowed my desire for an agent to overshadow my love of writing. While acquiring an agent would be nice, I don’t need one to be a published author.

3. I didn’t exercise as often as I should, and I moved up a pants size, which sucks. If you eat the same food you always have your body should stay the same weight, damn it. Who do I need to talk to about this? It’s not like I’m sucking down cheese fries at every meal. *ahem…sorry about the rant. This is still a sore spot for me.

For 2014, I plan to write a little every day, read a little every day, exercise a little every day, and love on my husband and my furry beasts.

How would you sum up 2013? What are your goals for 2014?