It feels weird to say that we are now in 2025. Twenty-twenty-FIVE! Can you believe it??

That being said, with the New Year here and in full swing, it’s time to start setting some goals. Despite starting the year off with an irritating head-cold, this might end up being my most ambitious year yet. Keep reading to find out why.

Last year I published one full-length novel and one novella, titled Daughter of the Most High and The Lion of Philippi, respectively. Of course, that was only the work that you saw. Behind the scenes, I did a LOT more, and it’s important that I tell you to set the scene for my lofty-plans for this year.

I also completed the first round of edits on yet ANOTHER fiction novel in the Generations of Faith series. I drafted a non-fiction project that I have yet to announce. Aaaaand, I brainstormed a brand new fiction project/potential series. So how does that affect the future?

GOAL 1: I would like to publish another fiction novel. Yes, the one that I edited in 2024. I want to share the title, share the cover, share the details, and build up all the hype. I’ve been slowly drafting this book in the Generations of Faith series every year around Christmastime since… Well, I think nearly since Jerusalem’s Daughter came out. I finally completed the draft around Christmas 2023, and plugged away at edits over the course of 2024. Maybe that will give you a hint as to which characters this story focuses on? Either way, 2025 is the year it officially makes it into the hands of readers. Of that, I am convinced!

GOAL 2: I am hoping to publish my first-ever non-fiction project. It’s very special to me and very dear to my heart. While it may not appeal to everyone in my usual target audience, I hope many of you will give it a chance. Again, more details will be shared later. I will provide them as soon as I finish polishing it and have a concrete release day. It should be sooner this year rather than later.

GOAL 3: Remember that project I mentioned that I’d brainstormed? This is probably my biggest “reach” in terms of outlandish goal-setting. Those first two? I feel pretty confident about those. But this one? Accomplishing this would be equivalent to knocking it out of the park. I want to write the first draft of that project, hopefully to publish in 2026. There’s a lot that goes into that though. Outlining, researching, giving it a proper title, and naturally, a lot of doom-scrolling on Pinterest. All that said, I am incredibly motivated about this idea, so here’s to hoping that this goal isn’t too lofty after all.

GOAL 4: Post more consistently across all social channels, and get better about marketing my own books! That includes Instagram, Facebook, THIS blog, as well as YouTube. I want to post regularly, get back to engaging with the bookish community, and doing all the things. As I moved across the country in 2023, all of this internet-stuff fell to the back-burner. We had a new house to settle into, a new community, new jobs, etc. All of that’s starting to feel more “normal” now and less “new,” so it feels like the right time to step back into this part of being an author full-time.

GOAL 5: My final author-related goal—I want to READ more! I read quite a number of books last year, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I want to intentionally set aside time for reading and for getting lost in stories. This might not seem author related, but the truth is, the more you read, the better you are at writing. If you want to know what it takes to make a good story, you need to consistently immerse yourself in good stories. It’s a muscle and it needs to be exercised that way. My TBR list is looking as unrealistic as my goals list, but that’s okay. If I even make any of these goals, it will be a win.

I have to close out this ambitious list with a Bible verse though, just to give it a bit of a reality check. Proverbs 16:9 NLT says, “We can make our plans, but the Lord determines our steps.” As much as I set goals, only the Lord knows what will happen this year. For instance, as I’ve been working on this post all week, I developed a head-cold that already set me back. Could I have foreseen that? No, but there was nothing I could do except rest and take a full four days off doing anything work-related. So why set goals at all? Well, for me, it helps that I have something to aim toward. I’ll work toward it with prayer, but I’ll also continue to seek His leading and rest when I need to, or change plans when it becomes apparent that I have to.

If you’re interested in more, I vlogged this first week of the year over on my YouTube channel. You can watch it at this link, or by clicking below.

Have you set goals for the year? What kinds? Do you think I’ll achieve mine? Only time will tell! Keep the conversation going by leaving a comment on this post. Thanks for reading!