Happy Halloween! … & Happy New Year! ( @evernightpub @rmsotera #writer #so )

Hi everyone! Happy Halloween! And to my fellow Wiccans and those of a similar faith, Happy New Year!
* “Happy New Year?” you say. Well, yes. According to Pagan Wiccan About.com “Sunset on Samhain is the beginning of the Celtic New Year. The old year has passed, the harvest has been gathered, cattle and sheep have been brought in from the fields, and the leaves have fallen from the trees. The earth slowly begins to die around us.” Though as per Suite101 article says “some modern witches feel that the day that follows the winter solstice festival of Yule is the true Wiccan New Year.” Either way, going into a new year is usually a good time to review the year that just passed, wrap up and clear out the old and start looking toward the next year. (For more on Samhain, visit Chalice Centre)
* So I’m here today to discuss the top ten things I’d like to do differently in 2013. Granted, this list is pretty much the same as the list I made for 2012, but shortly after I created it, my health tanked and life went topsy turvey. But as they say, if you fall of the horse, get back on and try again. :)

10 – Decrease stress / be more forgiving of self These should occur with ease as the rest of my list happens. But that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t still be mindful of my stress level and take measures to make myself relax and not worry so much. And if for some reason I backslide from any of my goals, I need to not freak out about it so much…just get back up on the proverbial horse and get on with things.
9 – Write down my goals My game plan is in my head, but what I really need to do is write down my goals, post them on my desk where I can see them and keep them in the forefront of my mind.
8 – Continue to utilize social media Continue trying to be a bit more chatty on Twitter and Facebook. See reasoning for why I’m not/it’s difficult for me in #6.
7 – Continue utilizing my blog(s) Along the lines of #8, I’d like to become more open and share my thoughts & life on my blogs (C.R. Moss blog & Double D blog & Casey Moss blog) to help vary it from the interviews, guest posts, and line sharing I already do. But again, see number six as to why this is tough for an individual like me.
6 – More public appearances Public appearances? Isn’t that what the social media and blogging is about? Well, yes and no. Here I’m talking about getting off-line, out of my comfort zone and being more social in the real world when it comes to my writing career and personal life. I’m an introvert though and being out in the public eye isn’t always the easiest thing. (myths about introverts) I am making strides in being more visible and getting out there. In 2011 I went to a couple of cons and in 2012 I attended a few more: EPICon; Arizona Dreamin’; RomCon; & KillerCon. I was afraid of freezing like a deer in headlights when I was in front of people discussing my work. Thankfully I didn’t. ;) In 2013 I’m looking into going to EPICon again, to the World Horror Convention 2013 in New Orleans & a writer/reader con here in Las Vegas in August http://romancenovelconvention.com/. Going to those will depend upon finances, but there are two I’ll definitely be at: KillerCon and a new readers’ convention here in Las Vegas: Hot Mojave Knights
5 – Get some sun everyday What can I say, I spend a lot of time inside (too much time actually) at my computer working on stories and doing promotion, which makes me miss the hours that the sun is up and shining. I’ll have to be sure to catch some rays on a regular basis for sunlight’s vitamin D and mood enhancing properties.
4 – Get some exercise everyday Like I said in number five, I spend a lot of time at the computer which means I spend a lot of time being sedentary. Not good. I really need to be better about this and start walking and weight lifting again to combat the spread. Thing is, there are so many places here in Las Vegas I could go to walk around and people watch at, it’s a wonder I don’t take better advantage of the opportunity. Think of all the research I could do for stories!
3 – Eat better In line with getting some sun and exercise, I need to eat better foods and not grab junk food when I’m deep into work (or even when I’m not deep into writing). What’s the point of building a prosperous writing career if I’m not feeding the machine properly and being healthy, right?
2 – Write at least five days a week Confession time… I’m one of those writers who likes to be inspired, at least a little, before I sit down to write. Except this hasn’t been working for me very well. I’ve been writing in spurts, a whole lot at one time then nothing for a while. But to meet my goals, I have to be more consistent. I need to make sure I’m doing something at least five days a week so my series stories can get done. There’s the Wild West stories in the Double D Ranch Tales saga. There are some stories I’m working on that follows up with the characters from my story Chasing Miss Kringle that’s in EP’s holiday anthology Stockings & Suspenders. Then there are the urban fantasy stories under my Casey Moss pen name that follow the story line started in AFK in Evernight’s Keyboards and Kink anthology. Then there are several other stories I’m accountable for and ideas I’d like to get started on and done as soon as possible, but I have to plant butt in chair and write. And getting the books written will only happen if I write every day and keep distractions at bay.
1 - Time management Can I say it again? Time management… Time management… Time management… Once upon a time, I used to be really good at it. Then again, I also used to be really busy and as ‘they’ say - You want something done? Give it to a busy person. Now that I’m not as busy, my procrastination trait has reared its ugly head. I used to use a palm pilot to help manage my calendar, but now I’m hoping to get my butt in gear and use my iPad to schedule things out. Time management is in the number one slot because I know if I got a handle on how I use all the hours in the day the rest of my list would fall into place with ease, my life would run more smoothly, and I could get more stories out to my faithful readers.

So how about you? Anything different you’re hoping to do in 2013? If you’re not ready to make your own list yet, how about checking out my latest release, written with my writing partner RM Sotera, Wild West Hauntings ~ now available at Evernight Publishing. Thanks!
~ A quick look into Wild West Hauntings ~ In Wild West Hauntings there’s a ghost, a poltergeist, the fear of losing one’s mind and the fear of harm coming to an unborn child. Spooky good times!
Blurb
* In life and the afterlife, on the Double D Ranch one belief holds true—the power of love changes lives.
* With cowboys, ghosts, modern day women, hot dreams, pre-wedding relations and a bit of sexy time travel, life promises to be one wild time on the ranch again.
* Rachel Star has met the man of her dreams … literally. Too bad he’s a ghost. When true love crosses boundaries from dreams to reality and across time, the Double D ranch is the place it happens. It takes the love of a man from the past, Dalton Dougan, to bring love full circle in the present for Rachel.
* Bristol Ashcombe, soon to be Dougan, is ready to have her baby … and so is a poltergeist. Can the love of a woman for her man and child sustain her during the most horrible of terrors? Can the love between family and friends really dispel the evil haunting them?
* Wild West Hauntings — Double D Ranch Tales (Book 2), a contemporary, paranormal, erotic romance story set in Nevada.

For more on the first book in the series, Wild West Weekend, & the second book, Wild West Hauntings, visit The Double D Blog

Happy Reading from C.R. Moss