2015 Goals
2014 was a year of Holy-Crap-My-Dreams-Are-Coming-True. I survived the book release! I have a book! It’s available in libraries in Wellington, New Zealand and Singapore and everywhere in between! Most every Barnes & Noble in America carries it, and about a dozen airport bookshops, too. How crazy is that?
I do wish I had the chance to write more short fiction this year. I’m down to just a couple stories in circulation–one of those nice problems, as it means everything else sold. It still bugs me, though.
My original post for my 2014 goals can be read over on my LiveJournal. I fulfilled everything but #6, as I did not write a second book.
I’m not sure what 2015 will bring. My two-book contract is fulfilled, with my final edits on The Clockwork Crown turned in just before Christmas. I already have a small Secret Project in the works that I can’t quite discuss in public yet, but I really want to write more novels. So let’s cross fingers and offer burnt butter cookie offerings that good stuff will happen!
Here are my goals for 2015:
1) Meet the deadlines for the three parts of my Secret Project. These are spaced out throughout the year.
2) Prepare comprehensive marketing plan for release of Clockwork Crown in June. This includes regular updates on my personal blog, scheduling interviews and blog posts for other blogs and sites, participation in Novelocity, and seizing other viable opportunities.
a) Don’t have a mental breakdown.
3) Release Clockwork Crown in June.
a) Don’t have a mental breakdown.
4) Participate in Write 1 Sub 1’s Light Ray option and write a new story (fiction or nonfiction) or poem each month, if balanced with novel obligations. Aim to have at least ten works on submission at all times.
5) Write stories to fulfill invitations to anthologies; at least four at this time.
6) Write at least one novel.
7) Continue to participate in 50book challenge, LibraryThing, and Goodreads, reading at least 50 books during 2015 and posting reviews for all.
8) Attend several conventions and book festivals; at this point, I am planning on Tucson Book Festival (March 15th), Phoenix Comicon (May 28-30th), and WorldCon/Sasquan in Spokane, though nothing is set yet.
9) Be honest with myself about my stress and personal limits. Don’t hold it all inside. Reach out to writer friends. Let my agent know what is going on. Take time out for my husband, son, cat, and family. Read. Bake. Go thrift store shopping.
10) Don’t give up. I’ve come a long way in the past year and there’s plenty of mountain left to climb. If tired of climbing, use dynamite.
Still $1.99
The ebook sale for The Clockwork Dagger is ongoing through Christmas! It’s for $1.99 at:
In other news this week, I have a new story published at Perihelion SF: “A Mother’s Touch,” a story of medical advancement, dragons, and death with dignity.
I’m also over at Rhonda Parrish’s blog with a very true cat Christmas tale.
If you’re looking for more recipes for this week, I might be able to help. Not only do I have a lot here on my site, but on Pinterest I have over 6,000 pins, many of those being recipes. That includes a board of my Bready or Not recipes, a collection on non-baked desserts, and a full repertoire of sweets that require glorious, glorious maple. Plenty of om-nom-noms to be had.
Read MoreTidings of Steampunk and Joy
Print magazines have shown me some love this month, and I swear my mom didn’t even bribe anyone.
There’s a review of The Clockwork Dagger in the December issue of Locus. It’s… an awesome review, too. To quote:
“Beth Cato handles this heady mix with a fine sense of language, emotion and event, making the whole thing flow more like a force of nature than the work of a first novelist.”
I’m also included in an article in the December issue of RT Book Reviews, where Tessa Dare describes the panel we shared at MPIBA in Denver. The focus was on attracting millennial readers. My approach… well, you guys know by now.
I have a poem in the latest issue of NewMyths.com! Here’s where you can read “How a Modern Green Man Grows.”
If you’re a writer in need of motivation/inspiration, you might want to ask Santa for a copy of Blood on the Floors: How Writers Survive Rejection. It includes a nonfiction story of mine called “Believing in Unicorns.”
I’m interviewed over at Authorlink.
The final news–and by no means the least important–is that the ebook sale for The Clockwork Dagger is still ongoing. It’s now $1.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo, and iTunes!
ebook sale!
Here’s something incredibly cool. The Clockwork Dagger is on sale in ebook format! You can find it for $1.99 on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Google Play, Kobo, and iTunes. This is a limited time offer.
This not only means it’s a great chance to buy a copy for yourself, but you can also easily gift an ebook. I know on Amazon, you just need the recipient’s email, and you can even set the delivery date… like Christmas morning. That’s pretty darn cool.
I’m really excited about this, especially since I’m working on my final revision pass on The Clockwork Crown. It’s the most amazing thing, seeing people buy Dagger and hoping-hoping-hoping they will love it and get Crown, too.
Signing at Metro Center B&N on Saturday
I’ll be at the Metro Center Phoenix Barnes & Noble location this Saturday December 6th from 1-3pm. If you’re in the area, please drop by! I’ll sign copies of The Clockwork Dagger (or any of my anthologies or zines or Chicken Soups) that you bring in or buy there.
Plus, you know me… there will be baked goods. I’m making Biscoff Fluffernutter Bars, plus a Betty Crocker mix for gluten-free chocolate chip cookies.
Books! Cookies! Add a cuddly cat*, and you’ll set for the day.
[*cat not included in booksigning.]
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<3 Librarians
I love librarians. My hometown librarians took good care of me when I was young. They knew to let me know when new horse books arrived or when old favorites of mine were being discarded and sold. They helped me get my fix.
Therefore, I was really excited when the Greenville Public Library in Ohio reached out to me for an interview. It’s now up on their blog, Fourth and Sycamore.
I also have a guest post over at Milo James Fowler’s site where I discuss why I write a bit of everything.
I’ll be busy with Thanksgiving and family and loads of cooking next week, so I’ll be scarce online. Happy Turkey Day to my fellow Americans, and happy almost-winter wishes to everyone!
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