Thank you to this month’s gracious cohosts: Shannon Lawrence, Olga Godim, Jean Davis, and Jacqui Murray!
January 7 question – Is there anything in your writing plans for 2026 that you are going to do that you couldn’t get done in 2025?
At the moment, I’m feeling rather discouraged about writing due to anemic reader response to my latest novel. Sales have been pathetic despite the wonderful support of this group. I wish reader response didn’t affect my motivation as much as it does, but that’s my reality.
I am enjoying a break from writing including the freedom to travel, entertain, and catch up on streaming TV over the weekends.
First was a drive to Orlando to meet my friends’ poodle Franklin, then to Key Largo to join my bestie on her college swim team’s training trip, where we swam with manatees.
Then my sister, niece, and I traveled to nearby Charleston, SC to visit the aquarium.
Back home, I always have fun assembling breakfast for my niece!
Finally, I’ll host book club to discuss Taylor Jenkins Reid’s Atmosphere, a story about female astronauts, and I found this hilarious Space Cats wine from a book club guide:
Here’s to a great 2026, writers!
Jennifer Lane Books 
I’m sorry that sales for your last book haven’t been as good as you’d like. Taking a break and having fun is important too and may help you feel motivated again.
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Thank you for the empathy, Natalie. ❤
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That wine bottle made me chuckle.
You swam with manatees? How cool!
Don’t let low sales get you down.
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I hope the wine tastes decent after driving a 3 1/2 hour round trip to buy it! 😉
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What great pics, looks like a fun time. We all suffer from low sales at times. Part of being a writer is becoming immune to that but it’s not easy.
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I need to boost my immunity, Nick! I was lucky to hit a trend with a New Adult sports romance book in 2014, and I think that book’s moderate success set up unrealistic expectations for subsequent releases. If I decide to write another novel, I hope to focus on the process of enjoyable process of writing more than on the outcome. But I agree that’s tough.
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Cute dog!
Sometimes we need a break from writing to fill the creative well. The right reader will find your book and it will make all the difference to them.
Ronel visiting for IWSG day An Author’s Goals for 2026
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Taking a break is refreshing, Ronel. This break may last for 20 years, the way I’m feeling, but you never know. 😉
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I think you found the perfect solution to your woes. 🙂
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It’s always nice to travel to expand one’s mind and mood. 🙂
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I want to swim with manatees! We got to see some in a tank at Disneyworld, which was so fun. Don’t get down about your sales. I think it’s tough for all right now, and there’s still time for it to take off and find an audience.
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They were so cute coming up to the dock to slurp water from the hose. I hadn’t realized they need fresh water to survive. Thanks for the encouragement, Jenni. My experience has been that most sales occur right after releasing a novel, so I’m not too optimistic, but I did receive a nice review from a psychologist friend for a prior novel recently.
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The poodle photo is fantastic. I couldn’t help smiling. I wonder how this wine tastes?
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Franklin is a handsome boy, though one of his dads wasn’t impressed when it took 45 minutes to capture him after he escaped out the front door! I’m also intrigued by the wine’s taste, though I do tend to enjoy most red blends. The Sauvignon blanc will also be an adventure to try.
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Sorry to hear sales are not going well for you. I’m reading Building a Story Brand 2.0 by Donald Miller. It’s funny thinking about building a story brand to sell a story.
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The whole concept of branding, for a person or a story, turns my stomach! I could put forth much more effort with marketing. I hope the book gives you lots of great ideas, Laer!
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I hear you, about readers! I purposely picked a genre that is a niche so I wouldn’t have to worry about the stress of ‘where are my readers’? Well, the 100 who like my genre have already ready my book!
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Ha ha, Jacqui. That’s like me picking the most obscure Amazon category I can think of!
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You know what I mean!
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I’m sorry about your (lack of) sales. As I consider indie publishing, that’s my biggest worry: that I’ll put my book out there, promote the heck out of it, and no one will buy it.
Your trips look like a blast!
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Janet, to be fair, my sales started sucking with my publisher as well! 😉 My trips were indeed fun. Not sure why, but I’m having trouble accessing your blog at http://janetalcorn.com I’ll try again later!
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I’ve been having some issues with the blog and with getting my hosting provider to address them. Looks like something major is wrong. I’ll try to get it fixed quickly. Sigh.
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That sounds quite frustrating, Janet. 😦
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Sorry about the poor reader response. =( On the up side, where do you live? You say “drove over to Orlando” — and hey, that’s my neck of the woods. I guess that means you were in my neighborhood too. =)
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Hey, Crystal! I live in Bluffton, SC, so it was a 4 1/2 hour drive to Orlando. How do you like Florida?
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Taking breaks is important. It allows you to fill your creative well.
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