New Year's Resolutions

I wanted to make public my New Year's resolutions again this year. Last year, I made a number of them, but I only fulfilled two. I read 37 books (goal was 35), and I finished the screenplay for the western that I had been working on. I think there were maybe ten other goals that I had set for myself, but I accomplished only the two.

This year, I would like to once again set goals. I know that we are already more than two weeks into 2013, but I am still going to do it now. Better late than never, right?

Okay, let's start with literary goals.

1.) Read 38 books. I've already read 3 and I'm half done with a 4th, so I'm on my way here.
 2.) Review more books. Okay, this one isn't as quantifiable, but I joined a review group on Goodreads, so this should be a gimme.
3.) Write two (2!) novels. I wrote 2/3rds of a novel in the last two months of 2012. This is pretty lofty, but I honestly think that this is completely realistic. I started writing a new project a couple weeks ago and I am at 21,000 words right now, so I really think two novels of 65,000 words each is completely doable.
4.) Write 4 short stories. About half done with my first already. Again, really doable.

Fitness goals.

1.) Run 400 miles. I ran 310ish in 2012.
2.) Run sub 6 minutes in the mile. I ran a 6:09 last July.

That's all. I think 6 goals are going to be hard to hit all of them. On their own, any one of these would be pretty easy, and I think it will be possible to do all 6 (or else I wouldn't have set them), but it's probably not going to be as easy as I am currently thinking. We'll see.

Interview with Ken Hoss

I am really excited to post this interview this morning. I had an opportunity to ask Ken Hoss a few questions recently. He is a Goodreads author and is currently working on the finishing stages of his second novel. For those of you who have not yet read his debut book, Storm Rising, I highly recommend it.

Without further blabbering, here is the interview:

How long have you been seriously writing?

That’s a tough question. I started writing seriously while on active duty in the Navy. After receiving numerous rejection letters from both publishers and magazines, I lost interest. I began again about three years ago, after reconnecting with a High School girlfriend.

What do you do for a living?

In my day job, I work as an IT Analyst for a Fortune 500 company. The dream of course is to write for a living.

What are the benefits of self-publishing?

The benefit, at least in my opinion, is not having your book sit on some editor or publishers desk for two years before seeing the light of day. (If it makes it that far.) This way, I get my story out there for people to read, and hopefully enjoy.

Difficulties of self-publishing?

I would have to say the marketing. With a big house, they push your book, pay for the advertising. As an Indie, all of that is on you.

Is it hard having a woman as your main character?

Not really. There are times when I’m writing a scene and she’ll start ranting that it doesn’t work and then we get into a shouting match. Eventually, either I’ll give in, or she’ll storm out and not talk to me for days. It’s kind of like being married.

What is the importance of blogging, and other social media, as a way of connecting with audience?

Any media you can use to tell people about your work is worth its weight in gold. Blogging, Twitter, and Facebook are all good tools.

Do you have any marketing tips? What has worked for you and what has not?

I had business cards made up with calendars on the back and I hand them out every place I go. They work, though not as well as word of mouth. That is the best marketing anyone can get, no matter what you’re selling. I’m also setting up for book signings, which I hope will boost sales and get my book read.

Future goals?

Finish the second book in the series, get it published and start on book three. After that, I have another series planned, but you’ll have to wait and read about it on my blog.

Thank you, Ken! I really appreciate your time.

Thank you, Matt. It’s been fun.

http://kenhoss.blogspot.com

Twitter: @kennhoss