Since I didn’t blog Monday (I spent the day in bed nursing a cowd and watching all my DVR’ed episodes of Gossip Girl–don’t JUDGE!), I thought I’d blog today about my 2009 Goals. I know Dennie kinda touched on goals yesterday. Like her, I didn’t get near done what I wanted, but unlike her, I”m much harder on myself. I didn’t have the excuses of multiple health issues this year like she did–so shame on me. And in the last three months I’ve started three different book proposals and wavered between a few others sitting on my hard drive. I’m rather disgusted with myself and this serious case of writers ADD I seem to have. All that said, after two years of writing and being published, maybe I just needed some downtime to recharge. Yeah…that’s it.

The struggle for balance continues.  :yes:

GOALS:

1. Take at least four writing-related classes. I’m already signed up for one so i only have three left.

2. Finish current erotica proposal (I had a huge epiphany at 6 am while blowing a ton of snot out of my nose–DONT JUDGE!)

3. Finish YA proposal (which actually means I’m probably going to have to write the whole book).

4. (from last year’s list *hanging head*) Dust off proposal for anthology w/Raine and submit it.  This poor proposal went four rounds with my last agent and I think Raine and I both lost confidence in it but it’s good and funny and I don’t care if we have to go with an e-publisher, I’d like to see it out there this year.

5. Finish one of two women’s fiction proposals.

6. Write novella for project with Charlene.

That’s it. Just six things…plus one more. A biggie I’ve been putting off.

7. Write a letter to Zane. Yeah, Zane the queen of black erotica. You see, back in um lemme think…January 2007 (?) no wait, 2006, I got an email from someone at her publishing company saying they wanted to buy a short of mine for their Caramel Flava 2 anthology. I was thrilled. I signed the contract, sent it back and waited…and waited…and … waited. When I realized they didn’t have a current email address,  I sent them a new one. And waited some more…for edits. Which never came. Then waited for the counter-signed contract and my money which also NEVER came. Last June I realized the book was slated for an August 2008 release. Once again, I tried to contact Zane and had no luck. So I emailed Zane’s editor at Simon and Schuster letting her know I hadn’t been paid (my whopping $ 300.00) or received the counter-signed contracts.

Crickets Chirped.

So here we are at the nearly 3 year anniversary of the sale of a BLEEPING short story and … crickets are still chirping.  To say I’m appalled would be putting it mildly. According to amazon.com the book is slated for a June 2009 release.

I’ve been in touch over the last few years wtih another author who sold a short for the same anthology–and she hasn’t heard anything (gotten contracts or money) either so I know it’s not just me.  And I’ve long passed the point I give a sh*t about whether my story is published in that anthology or not. I figure, since it hasn’t been published and I haven’t been paid, it’s still mine.

So my goal for the month of January is to finally sit my ass down and write her a letter.  I’ll keep you posted.  :diebastard: