Looking Back on 2016....

As 2016 comes to an end and the world prepares to welcome 2017, it's once again time to look back on the year and see what I accomplished, what I didn't, and what big changes I faced in 2016. To read my full 2016 goals post, click HERE!

My 2016 Goals Included:

1. Finish writing books 2 and 3 of The Hayden Falls Saga 

Status: GOAL NOT MET

My thoughts: When I set this goal, I knew it was a long shot. Not because I couldn't write them, but because this series was / is low on my priority list. The contract for book 1 will be expiring very soon, so for the time being. this series is on hold until I decide whether I want to renew the current contract or ask for rights back and find it a new home.


2. Finish writing book 3 of The Georgia Corbins

Status: GOAL NOT MET

My thoughts: Originally, I was planning to self-publish the entire series this year, but then an opportunity presented itself, and I submitted book one to a publisher I would love to work with. While the editor loved the characters and the overall story idea, she felt the writing and execution still needed some work and offered me an R&R (revise and resubmit). So, while I didn't meet the goal I set, I'm counting this as a win. I have her notes and I will be working on this in the new year.


3. Finish writing Savage Passion and send it to my agent.

Status: GOAL NOT MET

My thoughts: I have a notebook full of ideas for this new book/series, but other things have kept me from diving in (see below), but I'm really excited to jump into this new world.


4. Finish Warped Remains--A YA thriller I co-wrote with David Jemal.

Status: GOAL MET!

My thoughts: We finished the book and started sending it out. We currently have an R&R from an awesome publisher. We're days away from finishing the revision and will be sending it back to the editor in early January!


5. Finish Hallowed Ground (Graves Barren, Book 1)--A YA paranormal romance

Status: GOAL KINDA MET

My thoughts: The book isn't 100% finished, but I'm a lot closer than I was last year at this time. I'm now at 70K of an estimated 90K. I also managed to work through some road blocks, plot holes, and outline the ending.


6. Finish Eternally Bound--an adult paranormal romance

Status: GOAL NOT MET

My thoughts: I'm admittedly bummed I didn't get this one finished. I've heard paranormal is set to make a comeback, and I really wanted to get this one done and sent out. *sigh* Maybe next year.


7. Finish The First Snowfall--an erotic thriller.

Status: GOAL NOT MET

My thoughts: I'm on the fence with this book. I'm not sure my heart is into it, so I think for the time being, I'm going to shelve it.


8. Finish Resistance, the sequel to Inferno that I co-wrote with David Jemal.

Status: GOAL NOT MET

My thoughts: This series is currently in limbo, so until we get it worked out, I won't be working on it.


9. Get creative and come up with some new adult book ideas.

Status: GOAL KINDA MET

My thoughts: As I mentioned in my 2016 Goals post, my agent signed me for adult books, and all of my ideas as of late seem to be young adult. I'd like to say I've come up with a whole list of new ideas, but I haven't. At least, not any that aren't YA. lol. BUT, I do have a new romantic suspense series I'm planning to write, and possibly some more NA books (which my agent does rep. YAY!)


10. Beg people to like me-- This included doing more daily promo and meeting other writers in-person.

Status: GOAL MET!

My thoughts: I started a newsletter and am steadily building my list of subscribers. I created and am in the process of launching a new pen name (Lexi Lawton). I met a group of local writers via NaNoWriMo and we'll be organizing a writing/critique group in early 2017.


11. Keep on blogging.

Status: GOAL NOT MET

My thoughts: I completely dropped the ball on this one. I have no excuses.


Out of 11 goals, I fully achieved two and kinda achieved two. Those aren't very good numbers, huh. So, at this point, you're probably wondering: What the heck did you do all year, Kara? I'm glad you asked. I did a LOT! Honestly! Take a look...

• I've written a total of 382,282 words on my personal projects this past year. 
• I've edited a total of 6 manuscripts for freelance clients.
• I've edited a total of 7 manuscripts for Anaiah Press.
• My New Adult contemporary romance, Tempting Tanner, sold to Entangled Publishing in a three-book deal. It's the Collins Brothers Series and will be releasing throughout 2017. I've spent months editing, rewriting, and editing some more. 
• I wrote the Collins Brothers Book 2--Chasing Xander.
• I wrote a large chunk of the Collins Brothers Book 3--Resisting Ryder.
• I wrote a big chunk of Hallowed Ground (Graves Barren, Book 1).
• I wrote 25k of a brand new New Adult romance that's pushing the boundaries in some fun ways.
• I co-mentored not one but TWO authors for PitchWars. And I'm beyond thrilled to say they are both now agented. 
• I started a new young adult romance. 
• I won NaNoWriMo!!
• I outlined a book proposal for a spin-off to my Collins Brothers Series.
• Jody Holford and I released Jaded Love. 
• I visited Washington, DC with my daughter and her 5th grade class. 
• I made several trips back to NY to visit my parents and my two older daughters.
• My parents visited Michigan for the first time ever, and I had a blast showing them around. 

Even though I didn't meet many of my original goals, I still accomplished a lot. The sale of my series changed my focus, and that's okay. In my mind, 2016 was an overall win!

What did you get done this past year?

RELEASE DAY for JADED LOVE!

Woo hoo!!! I can't believe it's finally here :-) JADED LOVE releases today.

And to celebrate, my lovely co-author and I have decided to do something a little fun...

Other than writing and publishing two books together, the best thing to have come from this working relationship is a close, lasting friendship. Over the past two years, I've really gotten to know Jody, and so now I want all of you to get to know her a little better, too.

For anyone who's followed our journey, you know that Jody and I met during a contest hosted by me and Anaiah Press. I'll admit, it was a rather crazy sort of contest in which the winning author got to write and publish a book with yours truly. When we launched the contest, I seriously didn't think anyone would enter. lol. So, Jody, what made you decide to enter that contest in the first place, and what was your mindset / line of thinking upon entering and then upon learning you’d been chosen?

Actually, it was my friend, Tara Creel, who told me about the contest and said I should enter. That was a tough one because she was also entering and I don’t love the idea of going up against friends. Plus, we were both in the final five. She was, as she always is, lovely and gracious and so supportive when I won so I was in a pretty good frame of mind when I was chosen. I was happy, nervous, and uncertain. There are so many paths to publication and it’s hard to know which one is right or if any of them are the “right” way. 

Well, I'm super glad you entered ;-) Okay, now, let's get down to the important stuff. In Jaded Love, Kristy tends to ramble and as a result, often unintentionally embarrasses herself. Tell us, in detail, your most embarrassing moment.

Kara, this is a horrible question lol :) Okay. Um. Hmm…..should I go with the oldest or most recent. I’ll go with this one….my husband was teasing me on Halloween when we were walking with a group of friends. It was dark and I don’t see well in the dark. So he kept teasing and I turned and smacked him in the stomach. Only, it wasn’t him. It was a friend. My husband and our other friends found this very funny. Unfortunately, I do things like this frequently. Not hitting. But things that are embarrassing. 


LOL. That sounds like something I would do. As a fellow book lover, tell me... If you could live inside of any book world, meet any book character, and/or fall in love with any book boyfriend, which book would that be and why?

It’s possible the answers to those are all different. I would love to be inside Harry Potter’s world because how incredible would that be? I’d love to meet and be awkward friends with Cath from Fangirl because she is real and perfectly imperfect. For book boyfriends….I don’t know...what I love most about the books I read is how perfect the main characters are for each other. So I can’t become the catalyst for their break up. 


One of my favorite scenes in Jaded Love is when Jackson and Kristy don't go on a date to the chuch hosted singles dance. On the outside, it appears like a traditional date, but Jackson makes it very clear it's not, despite Kristy's desire for it to be a date. Have you ever been on a bad date? Please, tell us about it. (And don’t leave anything out!)

Yes. I’ve been on plenty of bad dates. There was the one guy who asked me out, made me drive, then when he suggested we go for coffee/snacks, told me he only had $5.00 so could I cover it. There was another where he decided we shouldn’t go on another date so he invited me out for dinner, brought a date for himself and a friend he thought I might like. I could keep going. 


One of the themes we explored in Jaded Love was fear and forgiveness. Arguably, Jackson's greatest fear is failing someone he loves, not being able to protect those that are closest to him. What is your greatest fear?

Everything. I have severe generalized anxiety disorder. I’m scared of dying. Of something happening to my family. Of something happening because I didn’t do a good enough job protecting the people I love. I’m scared of getting sick, of messing my kids up, of not being enough and of you publishing my response to this question. So the short answer: everything.

Thanks for putting up with my wacky questions, Jody! If you want to see what she had to ask me, hop on over to her blog and check it out! In the meantime, don't forget to check out Jaded Love and enter our giveaway for a chance to win some awesome prizes.

They can pretend they’re fine… 

Moving to NYC is supposed to be the fresh start Kristy Andrews so desperately needs, but she can't seem to shake the after-effects of having been kidnapped last year. 

Detective Jackson Reed never meant to kill an innocent man, but knowing that doesn’t change the guilt he lives with every single day. 

But they can’t hide forever… 

When Kirsty and Jackson meet, the connection is instantaneous, but neither is ready to open up about their pasts. Can love and trust conquer their demons? 

In order to have a future, they’ll have to face their past… 

When Kristy starts receiving threatening messages, her anxiety kicks into overdrive, but the last thing she wants is Jackson worrying about her. 

Jackson may doubt his ability to return to active duty, but he has no doubts about his instincts concerning Kristy. Someone is trying to hurt her, and he refuses to let that happen, even if it means going back to work; something he wasn’t sure he’d do. 

As the threats increase, Jackson shows Kristy that strength doesn’t mean facing her fears alone, and Kristy shows Jackson that forgiveness starts from within. Can they save each other before it’s too late? Or will the past come back to haunt them? 

BUY LINKS: Amazon / Smashwords

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FOLLOW THE JADED LOVE BLOG TOUR

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If you haven't already read Dangerous Love, book one in The Mending Hearts Series, you can grab it now for ONLY $0.99! 

He’s fighting to forget his past while she struggles to remember hers… 

Doctor Josh Parker lives with guilt about his wife’s death every day. 

He believes himself incapable of ever loving again, but when a 

mysterious woman arrives in the Emergency Room, brutally beaten and left for dead, he starts to feel something he hasn’t felt in far too long: 

hope. 

Alessandra Matthews has no memory of the events that led to her being hospitalized. Worse, she has no idea who hurt her or why. Although she’s uncertain of who she is, she is fully aware of one thing—she’s falling for her doctor. 

Sometimes, what you don’t know can kill you… 

As Josh and Alessa work to solve the mystery surrounding her past, she soon realizes just how much danger she’s really in, but Josh refuses to let her face the darkness of her memories alone. With each of them struggling to put their pasts behind them, theirs is a DANGEROUS LOVE.

{COVER REVEAL}: Jaded Love

I have been waiting for this day forever! I can FINALLY share the cover for Jaded Love with all of you!!!!! Be sure to scroll all the way to the end of the post for a chance to win a copy of Dangerous Love, Book 1 of The Mending Hearts Series.

Okay, enough chatting. Here it is....

They can pretend they're fine...

Moving to NYC is supposed to be the fresh start Kristy Andrews so desperately needs, but she can't seem to shake the after-effects of having been kidnapped last year.

Detective Jackson Reed never meant to kill an innocent man, but knowing that doesn't change the guilt he lives with every single day.

But they can't hide forever...

When Kristy and Jackson meet, the connection is instantaneous, but neither is ready to open up about their pasts. Can love and trust conquer their demons?

In order to have a future, they'll have to face their past...

When Kristy starts receiving threatening messages, her anxiety kicks into overdrive, but the last thing she wants is Jackson worrying about her.

Jackson may doubt his ability to return to active duty, but he has no doubts about his instincts concerning Kristy. Someone is trying to hurt her, and he refuses to let that happen, even if it means going back to work; something he wasn't sure he'd do.

As the threats increase, Jackson shows Kristy that strength doesn't mean facing her fears alone, and Kristy shows Jackson that forgiveness starts from within. Can they save each other before it's too late? Or will the past come back to haunt them?

PRE-ORDER

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About the Authors:

Kara Leigh Miller combines her knowledge and prior editing experience with a passion for the written word and a love for all things romance. Represented by Dawn Dowdle of Blue Ridge Literary Agency, Kara is a multi-genre published author, and an avid reader with eclectic tastes that range from the tame to the taboo. She currently lives in Michigan with her husband, three kids, three pit bulls, and two cats. When she's not busy writing romance novels that leave readers swooning, she's spending time with her family. Find her anytime at: www.karaleighmiller.com

Jody Holford lives in British Columbia with her husband and two daughters. She is a fan of Nora Roberts, Jill Shalvis, Rachel Gibson, and Rainbow Rowell. In reading and writing, she likes characters who are flawed, but driven toward the pursuit of love and happiness. In November 2013, she published A Not So Lonely Christmas with Short Fuse Literary. In December 2014, she published Forever Christmas through Kindle Direct. In 2016, Damaged and Falling for Home will be available from Penner Publishing. Find her anytime at: http://jodyholford.weebly.com

GIVEAWAY  ~  GIVEAWAY  ~  GIVEAWAY!

The below giveaway is sponsored solely by Jody Holford and Kara Leigh Miller and is in no way sponsored by Anaiah Press, LLC. Furthermore, all prizes will be awarded by the authors directly to the chosen winners. The giveaway starts today and will end on Sunday, December 20, 2015. Winners will be chosen via Rafflecopter and will be notified by email no later than Monday, December 21, 2015. 

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