2017 Estrada Odyssey

Although I see the pros and cons of resolutions, I find it’s a good motivator for at least half the year and seeing my results for last year, it kind of worked for me to put myself in the spot to deliver on what I promised. I may not have tackled all of my projects, but I tackled many and pushed as hard as I’ve pushed with plenty of challenges in the way.

There is the temptation to say I didn’t do X because of Y, but that’s an excuse and that serves no purpose. I did a lot last year and some things didn’t get done. No harm. No foul. No reason to be ashamed. I still did great and did it on my terms and going at it solo for the most part although I had the support of the people that matter the most, without which I couldn't have. 

That semi soppy intro to the side, we’re in 2017 so what’s on my to-do list?

1. Publish 2 new poetry collections before February is done. I’ve finished them and now need to format, fine tune, draft acknowledgements, and forewords.

2. Transcribe, edit, finish, and publish my first YA novel before the end of March. This project was very fun to write and I think a lot of people will enjoy, or so I hope.

3. Finish, transcribe, edit, and publish Sci-fi novella before the end of April. I have progressed in this project. It is the first project I do in first person and my first full blown sci-fi work. I wanted to try something different and I find different aspects to myself the more I work on it.

4. Daydreams on the Sherbet Shore, Volume 2. I am ready to finish volume 2 now and will do so for Mother’s Day to keep up my tradition of publishing something for mother's day.

5. Noir novel. I shall write, transcribe, edit, and publish for the Puerto Rico Comic Con.

6. Non-fiction book about my relationship to water. One of 4 non-fiction projects I shall release this year.

7. Non-fiction work about my philosophy on life. 36 years old is neither young nor old. You can feel either way but I do try to live according to certain life rules and who knows, maybe by putting it down on paper, it will make life clearer and the path to my happiness easier as well.

8. Philosophy project. An email will be sent within this week and an ETA will be given before the month is over.  

9. Blog collection. Still working on the proper format for this book to not just copy and paste it. I believe the words within need some fine tuning and am looking fwd to tackling it in the second half of the year.

10. Haiku book. Finished the text but still tinkering with the design. When it’s ready, I shall release it.

11. Greek mythology project. I shall write this during NaNoWrimo this year (November). More news when the date is nearer.

12. Social Media. Will continue writing and creating for Twitter, G+, Instagram, Facebook, Youtube, and the blog. If you like something, share it and comment. Pretty please, with maki rolls on top.

13. More songs. I shall be doing more lyrics for songs and buy equipment to better record video AND audio. Anything that comes from this will be a surprise so let's hope it's a good one.

14. More interviews. Already have an interview slated for recording this week and posting in March. If you’d like me on your blog, podcast, or your youtube channel, I’d love to collaborate.

15. Book Events. I shall aim for 3 book events though have no expectations since being stateside makes things a bit more challenging while still a lot easier (woohoo for contradictions). If you work in a bookstore, a school, or a library, I’d love to visit to spend some time with you and yours.

16. Puerto Rico Comic Con. 2017 will be my 4^th year going to the PRCC. The number 4 has special meaning to me and in March will mark the 4^th year since I began my Writer Journey. If you wanted a reason why I’m pushing so hard, look no further. And this year’s Comic Con will have a TON of surprises. Stay Tuned.

17. Love poetry collection, Heartbreak collection and more. I shall continue working on these two collections… while I continue work on two other collections I’ve already started. Expect different approaches and themes.

OTHER Goals

- Get more reviews. Suggestions and volunteers are welcome.

- Might finally change my blog to wordpress or something else. Blogger has issues and people who want to read me aren’t getting notified. Would love to rectify this.

- Be on the best of year list of at least 10 people.

- Get nominated for something lol.

- Grow further on social media but focus on one platform at a time to make sure I reach those goals. I’ll keep working on all of them, of course, but growth will be tackled one at a time.

- I would love to be part of any school/college project. Two students asked if I could for last year and that was a very special thing for me to do. My thanks to Mariexis and Mónica for trusting in me and I do hope their grades reflected that.

- Finish writing to all the people from my Comic Con yearbook. More news on this as soon as I finish this goal.

- Smile more, travel more, be happy more often, share that with as many people as I can while focusing on messages of positivity.

My thanks for reading, for caring, and for being part of this journey.

Peace, love, and deep thanks.

JD