Jae's writing process Archives

Looking back at 2020 and my writing goals for 2021

January 5, 2021

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know I always do an annual review at the end of a year and set my writing goals for the coming year.

Oh boy! A year ago, none of us had any idea what 2020 had in store for us! A pandemic, two lockdowns, wildfires in Australia, natural disasters, BLM protests, murder hornets, a nerve-racking election in the US… In a nutshell, if 2020 had been a book, it would have been a dystopian novel, a thriller, or maybe a horror novel for sure!

But let’s take a look at how I did on my goals for 2020 anyway.

Looking back at 2019 and writing goals for 2020

December 31, 2019

Like for many of us, the beginning of a new year is a time to look back at the past year for me—and a time to make plans and goals for the new year. Goal setting has helped me a lot as a full-time writer. So, let’s see how I did on my goals for 2019: Write and publish two English novels. I did achieve that goal. Not the Marrying Kind, book 2 of the Fair Oaks series, was published in May. The Roommate Arrangement, a romance novel about a feisty comedian and a brooding former cop, was …

2018 in review and my writing goals for 2019

January 4, 2019

Like for many of us, the beginning of a new year is a time to look back at the past year for me—and a time to make plans and goals for the new year. Goal setting has helped me a lot as a full-time writer. So, let’s see how I did on my goals for 2018: Write and publish two English novels. I did achieve that goal, but the second novel wasn’t the one I expected. I published Just for Show, a romance novel about a fake relationship, in February. Novel #2 wasn’t another book in the Portland Police …

2017 in review and my writing goals for 2018

March 6, 2023December 29, 2017

2017 is drawing to a close. Just three more days and we’ll be into 2018. For me, the week between Christmas and the New Year is always a time to look back at the past year and make goals for the next year. So, how did I do on my writing goals for 2017? A year ago, I posted my goals for 2017, which were: Write and publish two English novels. I did achieve that goal. My medical romance Falling Hard was published in April, and Perfect Rhythm, a romance novel with an asexual main character, was published in September. …

10 Lessons learned from 4 years as a full-time writer

August 21, 2022December 22, 2017

Four years ago today, on December 22, 2013, I left my day job as a psychologist to write full-time. Today, I thought I’d look back and see what lessons I have learned since then and what things I wished I had known when I started. So here’s what I learned in the past four years: 1. It’s possible to make a living writing lesbian fiction Lately, I’ve seen a lot of discussions about how hard—or even impossible—it is to make a living if you’re writing lesbian fiction. Going full-time as a writer was a big, scary step to take, …

Review of my 2016 goals and my writing goals for 2017

August 21, 2022January 2, 2017

2016 was a year that was challenging and stressful, but at the same time also very rewarding. Review of my goals for 2016 A year ago, I posted my writing goals for 2016, which were: 1. Write and publish two English novels, Shaken to the Core, (historical romance) and one that is tentatively titled Connected (contemporary romance). I did achieve that goal. Shaken to the Core was published in June, and Heart Trouble (which got a new title during the writing process) came out in October. Both received great reviews, so readers seem to be as happy with how these …

How long does it take to write a novel?

August 21, 2022April 29, 2015

When I tell people I’m a writer, most of them ask me one of two questions: “Where do you get your ideas?” Or “How long does it take to write a book?” Since I had a new novel out this month, I thought I’d answer both of these questions. I came up with the idea for my contemporary romance Damage Control in February 2014, while I was working on Departure from the Script, book 1 in the Hollywood Series. Michelle, the butch main character of Departure from the Script, expresses her admiration for Grace Durand, an actress who, according to …

My one-year anniversary as a full-time writer

August 21, 2022December 22, 2014

Today, it’s my one-year anniversary of going full time as a writer! Time sure does fly when you’re having fun. It’s been an amazing year, and I’m glad to say that I never regretted my decision even for a second. So, after 365 days of being a bona fide full-time writer, I think I’m qualified to answer the questions that I asked other full-time writers on my blog last year. How long have you been writing full-time? One year exactly! December 21, 2013, was my last day of working as a psychologist, and I started writing full time the day …

A Day in the Life of a Full-Time Writer

March 6, 2023November 5, 2014

The one-year anniversary of my transition to full-time writing is quickly approaching, and it makes me think about how much my life has changed. So I thought I would blog about a typical day in the life of a full-time writer—if there even is such a thing. Each day is different, which is part of the fun, but I try to keep a certain structure. So here’s what I did yesterday. I never set an alarm clock, but my inner clock wakes me at the same time every day, usually around 7:15 a.m. I get up, change into my work …