A New Year and of course...Resolutions

It's a new year, and of course, that means, like the rest of the world, I made a lot of resolutions last night, most of them made after consuming way too many glasses of wine. Very good wine, might I add, homemade by someone whose dad runs a winery. Umm...very, very good wine ;-) (Oh, did I already say that?). Almost made me want to start a winery. I'm thinking it might even pay better than the book business and I already know it has better perks, LOL.

On to my resolutions, which I better darn well keep this year because I'm really aware that 40 is just around the corner and those first few are going to get harder to keep the older I get:

1. Take off those last 40 pounds once and for all. A year or so ago, I only had 10 pounds to go, then my mom got sick and through her illness and death, I gained back 30 pounds of all the weight I had worked so hard to lose after kid #2 (bedrest for 6 months of that pregnancy helped me pack on plenty of pounds...well, okay, that and mac-and-cheese ;-). I know, all those folks looking at the picture on my website are saying, hey, I don't see those pounds. That's because that's the after pic. Not the current pic, LOL. So, expect my recipes here to veer toward the healthy course for a while.

2. Get myself to the gym on a regular basis. I was doing great on the running, then the holidays came and my sneakers collected so much dust, even the dust bunnies couldn't find them anymore. DH and I went to the gym on Saturday, with plans to go on Sunday and Monday, only to find out the gym is closed for the holiday. There went our brand-new good intentions :-)

3. Work more regular hours. In order to do well at #1 and especially #2, I have to work more regular hours, and anyone who sees the timestamp on my e-mails or even my blogs, knows that regular hours and my book schedule don't...ah...go together real well ;-) But I have good intentions!

4. Herein lies the conflict...Up the output. I'd like to add a couple more single titles a year to my current schedule, because I have so many more that are burning inside, dying to get written, and that means finding a way to fit them in. Hmm...gotta find a way to keep regular hours, get to the gym, write more big books. [a note to my readers -- there are plenty of Shirley Jump releases next year, BTW -- at least 7 books out: a single title in February (PRETTY BAD), then romances in May (THE LEGACY), a linked duet in May (BACK TO MR. AND MRS.) and June (MARRIED BY MORNING) , two Christmas books (not titled yet), another single title in December (MISS INVISIBLE) and maybe another Next (COMMON GROUNDS), too].

5. Perfect the cloning process! Ah-ha! There's the solution. If I can create a clone who is skinny and can cook healthy and can write fast, I'll solve the entire problem! :-)

Seriously, I'll just be happy to complete #1 and #2, before my 40th birthday (which is now only a year and a half away). Plenty of time. The rest will work itself out, or it won't. Considering I have the two kids, two dogs and two cats, (and the husband :-) a regular schedule is always a joke around here ;-)

Hope your new year is a wonderful one!

Shirley