There’s nothing like staying up with a feverish child (no, not serious, but she has to go in to the pediatrician on Monday…sigh) to get you thinking about a whole host of matters, the serious and non-serious variety alike. I’ve tended to avoid the New Year’s resolution model, since I’m not really sure why I have to wait for January 1st to start working on issues in my life. But it was late, I was tired, my daughter was sick, so…why not create a list? And so I’m happy to present the first (and quite possibly only) annual list of Greg Wilson’s New Year’s Resolutions (TM). Feel free to add your own items to the list (not that I’ll be able to go after your resolutions, of course…I’ve got enough to do with my own!). These are professional, not personal, in nature…I am planning to exercise more, sure, but I certainly wouldn’t be interested in anyone else telling me that, so I’ll spare you the details of my inner spirit quest. 🙂

In no particular order:

1. Sell, promote, and otherwise get the word out about The Third Sign. Some of this will be out of my control–my publisher will cover some of the promotion, and although I’m very much hoping to get the book reviewed at a number of places, I can’t force them to review anything (well, maybe I could, but it would be mean and wrong. And probably illegal.)–but in terms of continued networking, conference attendance, and some book signings and readings, I’ll be busy in ’09. Remember, those who buy Christmas gifts early don’t have to worry about braving mall crowds or risking late shipments in December…

2. Get an agent and publisher using my second novel, Icarus. There’s been some interest in this book, and some promising signs from agents who are looking at the manuscript, but no loose ends have been tied up quite yet.

3. Finish my third novel, Grayshade. This book has been a lot of fun so far, though in some ways it’s also been the most challenging to write. If all goes well I hope to have this put to bed and ready for querying by the end of the year…though if #2 comes through as planned, I won’t have to query it cold at all. I’ll probably post some teasers about this book in the coming year.

4. Blog more. Not that I’m the most infrequent blogger in history, but if I can write things here that might be meaningful (i.e. not the all too common “here’s this cool stuff my iguana did today!” fare. Not that iguanas aren’t cool, but seriously…) I’d like to do it more often.

5. Read more. Yes, I’m always reading…but during the school year it tends to be more papers and exams than fiction, and I hope to get caught up on my to-read list (curse you, free books from World Fantasy!!!).

And probably the most important:

6. Enjoy the ride. In this business we’re far too caught up on the next project, the next reading, the next signing, the next hurdle to clear or obstacle to overcome. This year I’m going to enjoy my readings, signings, conferences, and of course, the writing itself. And with a touch of luck, ’09 might end up being the best year yet.

And if not, of course, I can always fire up the Second Annual List next January…

Greg