Back with the latest update on my 2014 forecast. July was pretty good, all things considered. I didn’t really bump up my word count too much, but I’d started a new job and the kids are home for summer, so things went slow.

But, August is a new month, my work hours have backed off and the kids go back to school soon! So, hopefully all of that will add up to a bigger update next month. For now, here’s the updates.

So first, the overall goals. Not specific books, but all around goals..

1. I’ve challenged myself to write 600,000 words in 2014. ( 347,465 WC as of 7/30/14 10:47PM)
2. I will build my audience and work harder at promotion. I am not doing enough with this. Need to get out more.
3. I will find focus (see below), and figure out how to USE it. I am working on this. Some days I do great, others not so much. Call me a work in progress.
4. Plan 2015 Holidays in Lake Point series books. I have ideas jotted down, 1 title & 3 out of 6 story ideas set. I’ll also need to write the first 2015 book before I can submit anything.
5. Plan 2015 book schedule. What I didn’t finish this year, plus others. Ideas are bursting on this one. I carry a notebook with me all the time now, and I think I have a good idea how/what to schedule for 2015.

And for my list of projects. This I’m not removing the completed items, because I like seeing how many are done, however I did remove a couple I had to backburner for pressing deadlines. Items in RED are complete. Items in ORANGE are in progress (or progress notes). Items in BLUE are new. Some of the new items are in blue with the progress I’ve made in orange.

1. Runaway Train (Dominion Falls 5) – 113k
2. Stalled Independence (Lake Point #3) – 35k
3. Katherine’s Story (Dominion Falls Prequel) – 48k – Named finally. Independent Brake
4. Into a Mirror Darkly (Morgana Chronicles 1) – 100k (~10k done)
5. Witch Way (Lake Point #4) – 30k
6. A Thorough Thanksgiving (Lake Point #5) – 30k (4300 done)
7. Heartstrings & Hockey Pucks (Lake Point #7) – 30k
8. The Tribe (The Tribe #1) – 85k
9. The Wolf (The Tribe #2) – 85k
10. Switchback (Dominion Falls 6) – 100k
11. The Chief (The Tribe #3) – 85k
12. The Raven (The Tribe #4) – 85k
13. The Child (The Tribe #5) – 85k
14. Escaping Humanity (Co-authoring w/ Mary Terrani) – 100k (22k done)

My focus remains on my three series – Lake Point, Dominion Falls, & The Tribe. Now with Lake Point I’ve got one book to finish for this year & the first for next year to write. Dominion Falls is in edit stages. The Tribe has two books written, and 1 more to write before the end of the year. The Raven needs done, but can wait while I finish up with Lake Point.

Escaping Humanity is always a work in progress at least until completion, of course. Both my co-writer & I have stories that are a priority right now, but I hope to add to that word count soon as A Thorough Thanksgiving is complete.

I have several other story ideas brewing for what will go onto my 2015 goal list, but they’re all in notes & I’m not going to list them here in my goals until the year comes closer to completion.

Fingers crossed the rest of the year sees me reaching these goals as I’d hoped for at the start of the year.