Nice to meet you, 2017. I want more from you.

Posted January 2, 2017 by Jennifer Ellision in blog / 0 Comments

Hello, 2017.

I hope you’re good to us, 2017, because 2016 was a shitshow overall– I’m looking very pointedly at you, World at Large.

I published the conclusion of my YA fantasy trilogy
That conclusion was voted one of the 50 Best Indie Books of 2016
I had my best sales months
My romance novel was mentioned in a Huffington Post blog
I voiced a minor character in an audio drama podcast
I wrote an audio drama podcast minisode
I visited 3 new states and 1 new country
I accomplished the Goodreads reading challenge that I set for myself
I became a godmother
I trained for and ran 2 5Ks for the first time
I went to Disney quite a bit
I found a new gym that I love, which is helping me with my mental health in a big, big, big way that I just can’t overstate

I had some major lows, but also some amazing high points.

My guiding word for 2016 was “new” and I think it lived up to that. My word for 2017?

And to narrow that focus down a bit, I’ve outlined a few specific goals for the year:

Run a 10K
- I’m going further than last year’s 5Ks. I signed up for my first 10K yesterday! It’s at the end of February. Stay tuned!
Publish 2 novels
- I published only one novel in 2016, and I won’t lie to you, 2 will be a challenge. If you’ve paid attention to my writing speed over the past few years that I’ve been in this self-publishing game, you may have noticed that even 1 book in a year is often a struggle, but I have some fun ideas…
Narrate 4 audiobooks
- Considering I’m midway through 2 audiobook productions and plan to also release Breathe In on audio myself, I think this is very doable. In 2016, I narrated 2 books. I’m doubling that this year.
Visit 4 new states and 1 new country
- I already have the 1 country lined up– I’m going to the U.K. in March! I couldn’t be more excited. I’ve had this trip planned since late 2015. I have some ideas on what the new state trips will be but they’re still to be determined. Below is my updated “states visited” map after adding Tennessee, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania in 2016.