As I write my last blog post for the year, I can’t help but look back at 2018 with amazement. It’s hard to believe all the things that have happened in twelve short months. Some things were good and some were not so good. Here’s the rundown:
I was honored to get nominated for the Agatha Award for Best Debut Novel for my book, THE PLOT IS MURDER. As an Agatha Christie fan, I consider that nomination to be one of the most amazing things ever. Even though I didn’t win the award, I feel honored and humbled that so many people liked my book enough to nominate it. Right before I left for Malice Domestic and the Agatha Awards, my second book, 
READ HERRING HUNT, released and I closed on my house (talk about stress – I truly believe Hell for me would consist of constantly buying and selling real estate. This is house number 8 for me, let’s hope it’s the last). When I returned from the Agatha’s I moved (yep, another level of Hell is packing and moving, even when you use professional movers your glass dining room table can get damaged). In addition to the physical move, I also had a move at my job (because life just wasn’t crazy enough). I moved into a new job role (same company, different position/boss). That’s a lot of change and that only takes me up to mid-year.
A very close family friend died suddenly, leaving a hole in our family which only time can heal. Not long afterward, our family expanded by FOUR (yes, you read that correctly), thanks to two weddings. My nephew, Christopher and his girlfriend, Carson tied the knot. My niece and her fiancé, Drew followed a few months later. Both couples brought new additions to our family as we welcomed two babies 
(Crosby and Marcella – my completely biased opinion is that they are the most adorable babies ever).
I had three more books published, TRAVELLIN’ SHOES, IN THE DOG HOUSE, and THE NOVEL ART OF MURDER. If anyone’s counting, that makes FIVE published books in twelve months (I’m getting tired just writing about it).
A lot of other things happened this year that caused a great deal of stress/anxiety and some tears including a couple of root canals, trips to the vet, and the mechanic (brakes/tires/battery), not to mention I’m still recovering from the hot water heater installation). Yet, when all is said and done, 2018 was a good year. I may not have achieved everything on my list of goals, but living to see the end of one year and the start of a new one is a blessing. I’m excited to see what 2019 has in store. Happy New Year!