Short Story: "The Only Thing to Fear"

I mentioned in my 2015 post that I had a short story published in a Christian college journal. I'm excited to announce that since it was awarded first place in the fiction category, it is now available to read online! If you're interested, the title is linked below to take you right to the story.

The Only Thing to Fear

She ran as fast as her legs would carry her, and the sound of her mother’s footsteps right behind faded as the whistle, silence, and boom overtook any other sound of the night. Whistle, silence, boom. Whistle, silence, boom. The flaming light and black smoke were close as Helen made it outside and down the path to the shelter.

Her hand reached for the door, but before it made contact another explosion erupted behind her, and for a moment she felt as though she were flying... 

I hope you enjoy the story! If you're interested, the journal is also available in paperback to purchase for $10.00. Click here for purchase details.

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Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015

Happy New Year, everyone! I hope this past year was a good year overall and that you accomplished many goals, and here's hoping 2015 will be even better.

I didn't succeed in conquering most of my goals, but this past year has definitely been a learning experience.

• I completed a continuing studies course on writing through the University of Wisconsin-Madison and started a couple other courses on copywriting and screenwriting. 
• I had some experience in online journalism writing for News for Shoppers. 
• After taking a year since finishing the first daft of the prequel to my Drasia series last October to work on minor revisions and development for the next 3 books, I then began work on the first draft for book one. 
• Elizabeth Liberty Lewis of Exhortations by Elizabeth was kind enough to be our first guest blogger with an insightful post about focus. 
• I had the privilege to participate in a blog tour for Perry Elisabeth Kirkpatrick's book The Kitten Files: The Case of the Tabloid Tattler. 
• I rediscovered a passion for character development and realized the weight a dynamic, fleshed-out character carries in a story. I could spend months just developing a single character…
• Probably the most exciting moment of last year for me personally was I had a short story published in a college journal and won first place in fiction! I plan on sharing the story with you very soon. In the meantime, you can learn a bit more about the Doxa journal here. 

I didn't accomplish many things I had hoped for this past year — I hoped to be farther along on my fantasy project, I had so much more planned for the blog than what got out, and I didn't read as much as I wanted. I got sick quite a bit this year (ah, the perils of working in a pharmacy), am preparing to move for the first time in 15 years, and I've had some other personal issues going on that have hindered my productivity.

However, that is part of life; yes, you may be hindered from one goal, but a new opportunity will always present itself. So this year, I'm not making any new year's resolutions. I'm going to go where life takes me and take it one day at a time. This year is already presenting many new opportunities and circumstances, and I'm nervous but also excited to see where they will take me. How about you?

Do you have goals for the new year, or are you taking a more relaxed approach? Share in the comments!