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My 2020 Vision

What am I doing writing about 2020 when we’re already one week into February?

Well, y’all, let me tell just how crazy everything has been lately!

Let me just recap my January for you:
  • On Friday, January 3rd, I had my on-site interview with a company down in Pittsburgh for an open position.
  • On Tuesday, January 7th, I got the offer from HR that, pending a satisfactory background check and drug test, I was hired.
  • On Friday, January 10th, I got the call from the hiring manager that I cleared everything, and we scheduled my first day of work.
  • On Monday, January 13th, I turned in my two-weeks notice at my now former job.
  • And on Tuesday, January 28th, I began my first day of work in downtown Pittsburgh.
As you can see from that list, this all happened so fast. My last two weeks at my prior job were spent trying to get the entire office organized and everyone informed on my responsibilities and what they’d have to take over. After 11 years, 7 months there, the list was long. But on my last day, my coworkers, their families, and my family all came out to dinner to celebrate my new job and all the new opportunities on my horizon. It wasn’t until I got home from that dinner that I realized how much was going to change for me.

But the reality sunk on my first day, when I showed up to work in a skyscraper and got a whirlwind tour of the floor. I then promptly forgot. But everyone has been so nice and welcoming, offering any help to aid my adjustment to this new corporate lifestyle.

This "corporate" job feels anything but considering how nice everyone is. So far, I've been treated to lunch twice, attended a trivia game over lunch and helped my team win and earn a reputation for being a millennial smartypants, got another free lunch because I helped organize a lunch meeting for my department, attended a welcome breakfast, and have already gotten praised by my two direct bosses for my effort and insight.

If I'm being honest, though, it's been quite overwhelming too. It was great at first, when there wasn't much that I could do. But then I've gotten thrown into it all. I have a lot more freedom at this job to get my tasks done, which is both a relief and a weighty responsibility. So it's kinda no wonder that I found myself sick at 3:00PM this past Friday, probably from overextending myself as I continue to learn and adjust.

But at least being sick gives me a change to finally update everyone!

As I continue to adjust to the commute and my new job, I will be able to get back into working on what was referred to in my last post as my "top secret project." I was a bit foolish and that that this would be a smoother transition than it's been. The job itself is not hard, but the volume is higher than my last job. The commute is long, and I didn't plan for the motion sickness to interrupt my concentration. And by the time I get home, there's not really time for anything else than dinner, a chore or two, and then snuggling with the kitties until bedtime. I think I'll be looking to move closer over the summer, but that is a decision to make in the coming months as things settle down.

Anyway, for those of you who are in my FB reader group, you'll know that I've released the titles for what is now The Sweet Nothings Series: Nothing's Forever (book 1), Double or Nothing (book 2), and Nothing Else Matters (book 3). These will be released in quick succession, which means I won't know when that will be until I'm almost done with book 3. It could be awhile, but I think it'll be worth the wait! And then, I return to the Dallas Comets series for book #7.

I'm also beginning the prep for my first signing of 2020, Rockin' Romance Readers in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, April 25 (purchase tickets here; pre-order form here). I'm very excited to be an attending author this year after I went last year as a reader and thought it was such a well-done event. If you have a chance to make it, you should!

Then, six months down the road from that, you can find me at Tempted and Tantalizing NYC on October 10 (purchase tickets here; pre-order form coming). I am equally excited for this one because this event has such a good reputation!

Well, I guess that's the outline for my author goals for 2020: my trilogy, maybe the next Dallas Comets book, and two awesome signing events. It didn't quite so ambitious back in the fall when I was planning it out, considering I didn't know I'd be switching jobs and things would be changing so drastically.

Feel free to share your 2020 plans in the comments! Or let me know if you're planning on attending these two signings!

Happy reading!

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