Here we are in that exciting and/or dreaded part of the year where everyone talks about the year they've had and the year they want to have next. I am everyone. She is me. Welcome to my book!

Okay, but in all seriousness, 2021 was a heck of a year for me. On a personal level, I had my third baby, which has meant many a sleepy Eliza and a few interruptions when I was trying to write. But I can't complain about baby snuggles and cuteness. It has meant I've had to adjust my goals to account for that, though. Which is pretty much who I am as a person at this point. So, let's get started.

What did you do this year, Eliza?

Well, I stuck to my usual form and wrote three novellas for the Open Novella Contest 2021 in February through April. As always, I had a lot of fun doing that. I also managed to get a book onto the short list which is amazing for me. So that was a big deal!

Writing wise, I also finished camp NaNoWriMo in April and NaNoWriMo itself in November. In part because of that, I was able to write over 350,000 words this year and could start posting Mrs. Matched here on Wattpad. I also challenged myself by conceiving of, writing, editing, and posting Under Chateau Lights between September and December and, to my surprise, I succeeded! I'm immensely proud of myself for that achievement.

I also have decided to really throw myself into this Wattpad community and make this the place where I devote my time and effort. That means all of my new books are coming to Wattpad first and that books like this will be updated only here - at least for now! I'm doing this primarily because of all the wonderful community I have found here. So I want to say thank you so much to everyone who reached out, read my book, left a vote or commented. You all make this place great and I cannot wait to keep growing and writing with you all.

That sounds like looking ahead, not back!

I'm very bad at not mixing my reflections on the past with my ideas for the future. There's a pretty simple reason for that: I base what I'm going to do next year on what I was able to achieve this year. So let's get to that, shall we.

But first, a snack.

What does next year look like?

I mean, no one really knows what next year looks like. But let's talk about my plans and goals! I have so many writing goals and plans, but I'm going to try to stick to things that matter to readers. In short, for my writing goals, I am planning something utterly massive.

I want to up my game in several ways. First, I want to increase the number of words I write. Second, I want to increase the number of books for you to read on my profile. Third, I want to experiment with new genres and ideas while still maintaining the sweet romances you've come to know and love from me. And finally, I want to purposefully find the time to reply to comments and read other works from the wonderful people of Wattpad. I say this because if I don't write things into my schedule, sometimes they just don't get done. My brain likes to do that, sometimes.

So, I have a lot planned for next year and I hope you'll stick around this book to hear more about the updates I have coming your way because there are going to be SO MANY and I'm SO EXCITED! I can't quite tell you about my next project yet, because I haven't decided which one it is going to be. So look out for that post some time in the next month.

What does all of this mean for you?

It means you get to watch me post teasers and updates here. Often. And it means you can expect something like 3 or 4 new novels to be posted this coming year, in addition to the usual ONC madness.

I'm really glad to have you here and hope you'll stick around.

See you next time,

~ Eliza.

P.s. Do you have any goals for the new year? Writing, reading, or otherwise?

Also, huge shout out to Spruce_Goose for her amazing support this past year with the most comments any one person has ever had the dedication to leave on my profile. It was a major positive in my life. You want to check out her profile if you like Historical Fiction because she has more books than one person could read. Well, at least it would take you a while.