Happy New Year, y’all! Man, this year flew by with some ups and downs but we’re so grateful that we made it and somehow got so much done and created so many fond memories.

We’re also feeling really blessed to know all of you and watch you grow as well. I keep calling the book publishing industry the Hufflepuff industry because everyone is supportive, working hard, holding each other up, and creating really amazing #bookstagrammer content.

What Did We Accomplish in 2018?

I’m not sure if we can catalog EVERYTHING we did, but here’s a few of our favorite accomplishments:

• I self-published Destiny Seeker: The Messenger! I still can’t believe that happened!
• We attended FanX 2018 and cosplayed all three days. I even got to meet a bunch of other ladies cosplaying as Rey. It was magical.
• WE SAW HAMILTON.
• Speaking of cosplay, I assembled and revamped at least 7 cosplays: Wonder Woman, Rey (two different outfits), Millennial McGonagall, Spider Gwen, Belle, and Ilsi (!!!).
• I also made a Star Wars dirndl and an Aaron Burr jacket for my sis-in-law, Allison. Couldn’t have done either without my new serger.
• Travis got a new job at Ancestry.
• I joined an MMA fighting club at work.
• We participated in NaNoWriMo and Camp NaNoWriMo. I worked on Destiny Seeker part two and a new project, The Throwaway Queen.
• I hosted the #readlikeagirl Instagram challenge with @indi.go.wood.
• We celebrated our 4th wedding anniversary. I also celebrated my 4th work anniversary at Boostability.
• I read 43 books!
• Each month had its challenges, which is why I’m glad I saw my therapist monthly.
• I created 18 cross stitch samplers. Probably more but that’s what I can remember.
• I had my first book signing! I get all warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.
• I shared a whole year’s worth of #writercrushwednesday writers without repeats. That’s a lot of indie writers that I admire!
• We tried fun things with our hair. I dyed my hair pink/rose gold then mermaid teal; Travis started growing dreads and grew out his beard.
• I fell in love with the Anastasia broadway soundtrack, the 2018 She-Ra: Princess of Power show, Mirai Nagasu, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, The Dragon Prince, The Good Place, and much much more.
• I made it to Year 5 in Harry Potter: Hogwarts Mystery.
• We started a newsletter (which you can subscribe to below).

Our Top Posts of 2018

We wrote some great articles for you this year! Here’s a look at your top 15 favorites:

1. 14 Types of People You Meet as a Writer—Star Wars Edition
2. 6 Things Editors Want You to Understand
3. 4 Reasons Why We Need More Intersectional Feminism in Literature
4. 5 Tips for Taking Care of Your Mental Health
5. How I Make Social Media Work for My Mental Health
6. 5 Things I’ve Learned from Publishing My Debut Novel
7. 3 Ways We Can Include Intersectional Feminism into Our Novels
8. Destiny Seeker Updates—I’m Officially Published!
9. My 5 Tips for Keeping a Regular Journal
10. Book Review: Small Beginnings
11. Happy Black History Month! 80+ Influential African Americans You Need to Follow Online
12. 6 Characters from My Debut Novel You Need to Meet
13. How to Be Super Bold, Brave & Vulnerable Online
14. 10 Gifts to Get Your Destiny Seeker Fan
15. How You Can Balance Writing & Exercise

Writing Updates & Goals

Okay, on to the updates and goals. MY. GOODNESS. I feel a bit anxious while writing this but I’ll be okay. I tend to get really worked up after Christmas break. Right now I want to clean EVERYTHING, take zero nonsense from trolls, get rid of the dinosaurs in the White House, and basically take over the world.

Luckily, 2019 is a year and not a weekend.

So here are some of our goals for the new year, knowing that the overall goal is to START:

• Create a new website specifically for our editing services. Watch for that soon!
• Release the second edition of Destiny Seeker: The Messenger
• Release book two of that series (name to be announced)
• Write in the morning before work.
• Spend more meaningful time with family and friends.
• Pull together a support/accountability team.
• Really get rid of these chronic migraines.
• Create more cosplays! Ugh, there are so many options.

These are what our goals look like right now but we know it’s a lot. And some things might become more or less important as the year moves on. So, we’d love to achieve all these things but we also know that life can throw just about anything at us.

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This newsletter is only a year old! We want it to only grow and blossom.

How can you help? Subscribe and tell your friends to do the same. Our newsletter is different from getting emails every time we publish a new blog post. In our newsletter, we’ll share insider information on the publishing process, freebies, editing service discounts, tips, future book sale discounts, and more exclusive content.

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That’s about it from us! We’ve been pretty busy and we know you have been, too. What have you been up to? Let us know and bask in your own glory in the comments section or via social media.