The View from my Office Chair

As I sit at my desk for the first time in 2017 I am struck with everything that is going to be happening in my life this year and honestly, it overwhelms me. Being a human, and a New Englander to boot, I struggle with change, but like most things the more you experience something the better you get at handling it. In the last eight years I have weathered many a storm, and I’m still here.In the fall of 2015 I set into motion a life change that is going to come to fruition in a mere 30 days. My debut novel Dealing with the Viscount will be released to the masses! An over-night success I am not, but after years of hearing how good my story was, but also, how hard it was to break into the Historical romance market, I decided it was time to go rouge. Not a decision I came to lightly, but still here I am. Did I know anything about publishing? No. Marketing? No. Formatting? Hell no! What I did know is that I had a book I was proud of, and I had friends who knew all the things I didn’t. Will my debut novel fail? Possibly. Will I quit? Never, because with every failure I learn something.I am on my way to something big, but I’m not quite there. This year will be the cornerstone of what I do next and that is exciting, scary, and to be honest not like the pragmatic, what is our next step person, that I am.I am also losing my baby this year. My oldest daughter is a senior. She will be graduating high school and going off into the military. Yikes! After 18 years of having her nearby, it will be different not knowing where she is and when she will be safe at home. She is a strong-willed young woman who knows what she wants in life, but it is very scary to let go of the reigns and let them take over. Not because I don’t think she can handle it, but because at 18 she still isn’t looking down the road. She is interested in today, tomorrow, or the weekend and just like anything if you aren’t planning ahead, you will find yourself tripped up. I am excited to watch her in her new chapter, which will not include me as much as it has, and I am sure it will all work out. She has plans and hopefully she will follow through.I heard on the news the other day that less and less people are making New Year’s resolutions, because more often than not they fail. I thought that was very sad. It is like dreaming, or wishing. When we stop doing it where does that leave us?I wouldn’t be where I am today, teetering on possible success, if I had stopped making goals for myself. I have failed so far more than I have succeeded, but really don’t you fail until you succeed? With every attempt you learn something that will help you next time. When you give up, because you “always fail” are you giving up on that goal, or on yourself?I say keep making resolutions! Keep failing at the resolutions, because once you have learned all the lessons you must from your failures the success is going to be sweeter and mean so much more to you. (I hope.)What goals are you setting for yourself right now? Are they New Year’s resolutions or do you have another method?May your day be as sunny as the view from my office chair today,Clair =)