Happy New Year - 2021 in Review! (Patreon)

Wow, it's crazy to think that the year has already ended. I actually scheduled a get together with some family today, not realizing it was New Year's Eve!

So what went well 2021?  
I published three novels, one short, and started an audio drama series: The Aspect book 2, The Aspect book 3, Warhawks Amnesty, Inn Too Deep, and A Romp Across Iðna. All of those besides the audio drama have done well for me to the point that I count them as successes.

I started a Patreon this year, and it has seen month-to-month growth. Social media has also been steadily growing month after month. My fanbase is growing and every "thank you", "great work", and "when's the next one" fuels my inspiration and passion. I also had my first requests for signed book copies and prints.

My primary goal for 2021 was to continue to improve as a writer. I'm confident that with each release, I've continued to grow. There's still plenty of opportunity to improve, but overall I am happy with my progress.

I met some great people along the way: other authors, fans, artists, and narrators. I appreciate each and every opportunity to meet with someone kind and professional. So thank you all for being so wonderful.

What did I learn?
2021 did come with some harsh lessons. A Romp Across Iðna had two goals: see if I could bridge two different markets to bring in new fans, and to see if people would pay for that kind of content. Suffice to say the project was a total failure from a monetary standpoint. I'd planned on doing 12 episodes, one full season, but I only managed to release six episodes before the costs just got to be too much. It's probably going to take some of my earnings from 2022 to make up for my losses on that project. It was a passion project, and it was a hard reminder that passion projects don't always pay the bills.

Mental health and physical health are critically important. Looking back, I should have put a better emphasis on both. Trying to do all of this while maintaining my primary job definitely left me with stints of feeling burned out. This may mean I'll be writing slower than normal, but it's important to me that I keep myself healthy so I can continue to do this.

I also learned to be careful with commitments and not counting my chickens before they hatch. This has come with A Romp and The Aspect. And speaking of commitments, let's jump into an ideal 2022.

How's 2022 shaking up?
I am thrilled about the outlook for 2022. I am planning another 3-4 releases depending on timing of everything, my writing speed, and my health. My tentative schedule is as follows:  late February - Aspect 4 (series finale) late June - Warhawk 2 late September - Blackthorn (New fantasy series) Maybe December/2023 - Warhawk 3 (series finale) or Inn Too Deep (full novel/new series)

Here are my writing goals for the 2022:
-continue to improve my writing skill: Read better books & learn from my past mistakes.
-no more crazy ideas, just write good books.
-Write an Amazon best seller in one of its categories. (Warhawk hit number 2, so close!)
-Hit under 750 rank with a release, if hit then 500! (Warhawk hit ~900)

That's it for me. I hope you all have a wonderful New Year! Here's to an epic 2022!