Sandra Ulbrich Almazan: Speculative Fiction Author: December 2017

Friday, December 29, 2017

Science of the Week, 12/29/17

Welcome to the last science post of 2017!

Here are some of the most interesting science news articles I read this week:

Researchers ID plant "sunscreen" protein

An interstellar climate

Chemical from cactus-like plant shows promise in controlling surgical pain

Is punishment as effective as we think?

Have a good weekend, and I'll see you Monday!

Wednesday, December 27, 2017

I talked a little about my goals for 2017 in the December post for the Insecure Writer's Support Group. Since then, I've been thinking about my goals for next year, and believe me, I have a lot of them. This is what I'd like to accomplish in 2018:

Writing

Finish Dryads to Discover (new urban fantasy, first in series)--In Progress

Start Dragons to Deceive (sequel to Dryads to Discover)

Finish “The Unnumbered World” (short story from the Catalyst Chronicles series, set between Twinned Universes and Catalyst in the Crucible, started but not finished)

Revise “The Fighting Roses of Sharon” (standalone fantasy short story, draft complete)

Write and submit to 3-4 anthologies/magazines?--In Progress

Work on Welcome to Costume City (middle grade story, started but not finished)

Plan overall arc for Selathen Avatars series (followup to fantasy Season Avatars series)--In Progress

Publishing

Prepare and publish 1 or 2 box sets for the Season Avatars series

Publish Dryads to Discover

Publish “The Fighting Roses of Sharon” as standalone

Consider collecting fantasy short stories into single eBook/print collection

Marketing

Prepare at least one pull quote graphic for each novella/novel

Send out at least four newsletters

Run a promotion every 1-2 months

Sell 150 units (books, short stories, collections) = 12.5 books/month

Participate in local literary festivals when possible

WisCon?

Other

Finish Jedi costume!

General Leia costume?

Make Santa Jawa costume

Finish 2 Death Star pillows--In Progress (One almost done)

Crochet blanket for Alex

Crochet at least ten SW characters

Troop 20-25 times

Read 150 books

Take 3-4 vacation days to be alone and work on projects

Household

Garage sale!

Get compost bin?

Landscape back yard

This may be overly ambitious, especially since this doesn't account for work, household chores, or family (though trooping does count for family time). I may have trouble achieving half of this. Still, I'd rather aim too high than too low. At least preparing and posting a list of goals helps me establish priorities and forces me to commit to them. It's possible some of my writing projects may shift in priority as my interests or circumstances change. We'll see how much I've accomplished at the end of 2018.

Are you setting goals for the new year? If so, what are they? Feel free to share in the comments.

Tuesday, December 26, 2017

After Christmas Sale

If you celebrated Christmas or any other holiday this month, I hope it was an enjoyable and meaningful experience for you. I have some news that I hope you will enjoy. For the final week of the year, all of my novels that regularly sell for $2.99 are only $0.99. This includes SF novel Twinned Universes and fantasy novels Scattered Seasons, Chaos Season, Fifth Season, and Summon the Seasons. Prices are good on all eBook platforms and through 1/1/18. Please take advantage of this offer while you can!