A Glance Back, A Look Ahead
2018 was, without a doubt, one of the most interesting years I’ve lived to date!
In 2018, I did all sorts of new and crazy things:
Tried snowboarding for the first time–Slopes: 1, Andy’s butt: 0
Founded The Fantasy Fiends Publishing Inc.
Hit Amazon #1 Bestseller in three categories (with Darkblade Assassin)
Moved my family from Mexico to Canada (mid-2018), with all the joys and challenges that come from living in a new country
A few more of the highlights from 2018:
Won the RONE Award for Best Book Cover (for Different, Not Damaged)
Produced and published Child of the Night Guild and Thief of the Night Guild audiobooks
Had the pleasure of attending the 2018 InDScribe Convention and spending time with all the wonderful people there
But what I’m most proud of is the amount of writing I got done last year!
Last year alone, I wrote around 1 million words.
3 Hero of Darkness novels (Darkblade Slayer, Savior, and Justice)
Six Heirs of Destiny novels/novellas (releasing Jan 22nd)
Considering everything else that was going on in the year, I’m both surprised and pleased that I pulled it off!
2018 was a year of personal growth as well as professional. I spent nearly two months apart from my family in preparation for their move to Canada, and in that time, I learned a lot about myself and who I am in relation to them. I may not be the best parent, husband, or friend in the world, but that time on my own gave me a new perspective and showed me that I need to try to be the best parent, husband, and friend I can be.
One of my New Year’s resolutions/goals for 2019 is a bit vague, but it’s one that I feel is important: I want to be there for my family more.
In 2018, especially the back half, I was focused on writing the Heirs of Destiny series, and I was driving hard to reach the goal. That meant some things had to fall by the wayside, and often I’d work extra hours to put in the words and finish the novels—sometimes at the expense of family and friends.
In 2019, with all the Heirs of Destiny books written, I can be a little bit less driven and single-minded, and a little bit more available for the people in my life. That means being around during the day, taking time to spend with them, and having the headspace to be more present when I’m around them.
As for my professional goals, here’s what intend to accomplish:
To Write:
Finish editing the last two Heirs of Destiny novels (250,000ish words)
Write the Heirs of Destiny Companion Short Story (10,000 words or less)
The Silent Champions novels + companion novels (600,000ish words)
Co-writing project, details TBA later in 2019 (at least 250,000 words this year)
Another big year, but one that will be more realistic to accomplish because I’ll be spreading it out across the entire 12 months, with some projects already well along their way to completion.
To Publish:
Heirs of Destiny – 5 full-length novels + companion prequel novella (Jan-May 2019) beginning with Trial of Stone on January 22nd:
Hero of Darkness Box Sets – June and July 2019
The Silent Champions series – 4 full-length novels + 2 companion novels (Aug-Dec 2019)
It’s going to take A LOT of work to get it all done, but I’m so excited by the prospect of getting two more amazing stories out to you all this year.
Both will be massive challenges for me:
Heirs of Destiny involves 4 POV characters with intersecting storylines, something I’ve never tackled before
The Silent Champions is military fantasy, a genre that’s new to me and requires A LOT of heavy research
But these are the challenges I live for, and they’re going to make 2019 very possible the most adventuresome year ever!
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