The Last Day of 2025

So, here we are at the last day of 2025.  Time to wrap things up by looking back.  So here goes...

This year, I sold just over 130 books for a whopping total of just under $200. I gave away over 4000 books to get those sales.  

I published one book this year - Thicker Than Water (which is free right now).  That puts me at 18 published novels now.  Additionally, I'm like 95% done writing another book - Duke Noble #3.  If all goes well, I could finish writing it today.  Right now, it's at 45880 words - which is the number of words I've written this year, by the way.  Not a great amount, but it's better than several of the previous years, so yay.  

I read 35 books, which is way short of my original goal of 70 and a little short of my revised goal of 40.  (It doesn't help that I've DNF'd two books this week.)  I acquired 74 new to me books this year - about half ebooks and half hard copy.

Overall, I gained 2 pounds since 1/1/25.  :shrug:  There was some down poundage, of course, but I wiped that out over the last month or so.  Thanks a lot, holidays.  =op

Early in the year, we got the opportunity to add onto our land.  Our neighbor offered us a lot and we jumped on it.  We now have an additional acre, which gives us some nice padding between our house and the house next door (and makes it so no one can build on that piece, so yay).  Unfortunately, not long after we acquired it, the weather warmed up and we couldn't actually play on it until recently.  To that end, we got Hubs a chainsaw for Christmas and he's been busy turning our dead trees into firewood.  I've been busy with the smaller stuff and working on making our new woods pretty.

Sawyer and Finn turned 3 at the end of December.  They're good boy... mostly.

I did a deck garden this year.  It was mostly tomatoes and little trees.  I probably got a couple dozen tomatoes to eat, so not a total waste, and it was a good learning experience for my garden in the coming year.  The trees are doing well, hibernating in the garage until I can replant them in the spring.  I also have several pepper plants that are still hanging around out there in the garage, and two I've brought inside so they're like houseplants until Spring.  This coming year, I plan on doing tomatoes and peppers again, but also potatoes and carrots.  And maybe a tree or two, if the mood strikes me and I find seedlings growing in my gardens again.

In September, I visited my mother for her 85th birthday.  It was a nice trip and it's always fun hanging out with Ma.  She's a hoot.  

All in all, not a bad year.  Hubs and I are still going strong, and we didn't lose any family members this year.  I call that a win.  This coming year, I hope to write and publish more.  We should see Duke Noble 3 (still without a title) hit the online shelves sometime in the first quarter.  I also hope to exercise more, lose weight and not put it back on again, and keep the old bones from falling apart any faster than they already are.  

How was your 2025?  Any hopes for the new year?

Marketing Monday - Thicker than Water

I decided to end the year and start the new one with a bang, so I'm offering THICKER THAN WATER as a freebie for the next five days.  Woot.

For the first time ever, THICKER THAN WATER is free. (Always free with KU.) Don't miss your chance to snag this hard-boiled crime noir! https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0F88QQ2P4

Sunday Update - 2025 Week 51 or Whatever

 I figure since this coming week is the last of 2025, then last week must've been week 51.  Or whatever.  It was Christmas week and I'm short a few brain cells due to the timewarp that occurs this time of year.

I had a good writing week... well, a good beginning of a week and then the holiday hit and crickets.  Still, I managed to crank out 2236 words and I feel like I'm pretty close to THE END.  I mean, I could wrap it all up in no time and be done with it, but it feels flat, like it needs one more oomph to give it a real climax and then I can write the denouement.  So, I've been playing with how to make that happen over the last couple days.  Today, there will be writing.  I can still finish this by the end of the year, if I hunker down.

Marketing occurred.  Not a lot of marketing and thus, not a lot of movement.  Better than nothing, but not by much.  I'm like $2.50 away from clearing $200 this year.  Not sure if that'll happen, but a girl can hope.  I don't know what I'll put forth as a freebie to finish out the year and start next year.  Stay tuned.

I finished reading a book this week!  Woot.  That puts me at 35 for the year.  Still 5 short of my adjusted Goodreads goal, but I'm not flagellating myself over it.

On the activity front, we took three walks this week because the weather has been nice, and way too hot to play in the woods.  I also did some cleaning.  Eh, it's better than nothing, which is what my ever-widening ass wants to do.  Weight: 176.4

Baking happened.  I made a pumpkin pie bread pudding for Christmas dessert and it was pretty yummy.  (Recipe below.)  I also did a ham for Christmas dinner and it turned out awesome.  Total yummers there.

I've been busy getting ready for next year with my spreadsheets and crap.  Hard to believe Thursday will be a whole new year.  I do wrap-up posts and junk starting Friday.  Maybe.  If I remember.

Christmas happened.  We don't give each other gifts anymore, so no big whoop there.  We got ourselves a chainsaw and a deer dragging sled and a couple books (one of woodworking and the other on art).  Mom sent me card with a check in it, but that still hasn't arrived.  (Don't get me started on the USPS.)  MIL sent a card with a check in it, too.  That's the total of prezzies here.  The tree is still up and will be until Friday-ish.  We watched a boatload of movies - some of them Christmasy and some not.  Life is good.

Other than that, it was a quiet week.  Here's to a quiet end to 2025 and all that.  :hugs:

How was your week?  Did you get any good prezzies?

***

Pumpkin Pie Bread Pudding

2/3 loaf of Italian Bread* (or about 8-10 oz worth)

2 ½ cups evaporated milk

1 15 oz can of pumpkin puree

2 cups white sugar

3 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

½ tsp rum extract (optional)

1 tsp cinnamon

Dash ground cloves

Dash ground ginger

1 cup pecans (coarsely chopped)

1 cup raisins

¼ cup butter 

Cube bread (1-1 ½” cubes).  Preheat oven to 350F.  Put bread cubes into a large bowl.  In a separate large bowl, stir together pumpkin and evaporated milk.  Pour wet mixture over bread.  Fold together and let sit until bread absorbs wet (about 5 minutes).  Mix together sugar, eggs, vanilla, rum, and seasonings. Fold that into the bread/pumpkin mixture.  Put butter into 9x13” pan and put in the preheating oven.  When it’s melted, remove and set aside.  Fold pecans and raisins into batter.  Spoon mixture over the butter in the pan.  Bake 35-45 minutes until firm in the middle and edges are crisp.  You might need to put a separate cookie sheet on the rack below the bread pudding, in case the butter decides to escape over the edges.  Serve warm with ice cream or drizzle with caramel sauce, or both.

*I bought a 14oz loaf from Walmart and cubed about 2/3rds of it.  The original recipe called for an 8oz loaf of French bread, but I improvised.  

2025 Books Read

Here we are with my 2025 Books Read post.  I started it a little later than usual this year because it took me a while to finish that first book.  

If you haven't been following along all these years, here's how this post goes.  The books I read are in reverse order - newest first.  * means ebook.  # means 'new to me and underappreciated'.  If there's a number at the end, it's where the book's at in a series.  The links go to Goodreads where I may or may not have written a review.  (Check back on Saturdays for my weekly Reading Wrap-up to see reviews.)

I set my goal for this year's reading at 70.  We'll see how that goes.  (Updated: On 11/27/25, I changed my goal to 40 books.  I'm not sure if I'll eve hit that, but it's a goal.)

Okay, with that out of the way, let's begin...

35) Stellar Ranger by Steve Perry (12/27/25) - SF/Western/Noir

34) The Martian by Andy Weir (11/25/25) - SF

33) Dream of Orchids by Phyllis A. Whitney (10/9/25) - romantic suspense

32) Cat Among the Pigeons by Agatha Christie (9/18/25) - mystery

31) Tales from the 'White Hart' by Arthur C. Clarke (9/11/25) - SF

30) Primordial Threat by MA Rothman (8/28/25) - SF*

29) Five Complete Hercule Poirot Novels (8/18/25) - mystery

28) The Devil's Angel by Margaret Bernard (7/26/25) - UF*#

27) Space Academy Dropouts by Phipps & Suttkus (7/6/25) - SF humor*#

26) Sweet Harmony by Noel Bailey (6/25/25) - magical romance*#

25) The Danger by Dick Francis (6/15/25) - thriller

0) Novella by Name Withheld (6/9/25) - SF*

24) The Face in the Water by Kathleen Pennell (6/8/25) - mystery*#

23) Blade Runner (or Do Androids Dream Electric Sheep) by Philip K Dick (6/5/25) - dystopian

22) You Only Live Twice by Ian Fleming (5/29/25) - action/hard-boiled crime

21) On Her Majesty's Secret Service by Ian Fleming (5/24/25) - action/hard-boiled crime

20) The Singing Stones by Phyllis A. Whitney (5/17/25) - romantic suspense

19) Evil Under the Sun by Agatha Christie (5/15/25) - mystery

18) Bill and the Last Cup of Coffee by Lance Lassen (5/8/25) - dystopian action/humor* (I read the ebook, but this is the link to the paperback. In the time between now and when I downloaded the book, the ebook page has been removed and the paperback was set to 'out of print'. :sadface:)

17) Goldfinger by Ian Fleming (5/5/25) - action/hard boiled crime

16) In Plain Sight by Dan Willis (4/27/25) - magical hard-boiled crime*

15) Dr. No by Ian Fleming (4/26/25) - action/hard boiled crime

14) Scarlet by Marissa Meyer (4/20/25) - dystopian

13) Diamonds are Forever by Ian Fleming (4/16/25) - action/hard boiled crime

12) Islands in the Sky by Arthur C. Clarke (4/11/25) -  science fiction

11) Murder by the Script by Lisa Pevey (4/8/25) - cozy mystery*

10) Festive Fonts and Fowl Murder by Lisa Pevey (4/7/25) - cozy mystery*

9) The Modigliani Scandal by Ken Follett (4/6/25) - suspense

8) A Murder in Cursive by Lisa Pevey (4/3/25) - cozy mystery*

7) The Ebony Swan by Phyllis Whitney (4/1/25) - romantic suspense

6) The Riddle-Master of Hed by Patricia McKillip (3/29/25) - fantasy

5) Murder by the Letter by Lisa Pevey (3/27/25) - cozy mystery*

4) Some Buried Caesar by Rex Stout (3/26/25) - noir crime

3) Moonstruck: Retribution by Silver James (3/20/25) - paranormal romantic suspense*

2) President Fu Manchu by Sax Rohmer (3/14/25) - noir crime

1) Child Star by Shirley Temple Black (1/8/25) - autobiography

Thanks for stopping by and I hope you enjoy this reading journey with me.

Merry Christmas!

 Merry Christmas to you and yours,  

from The Sandersons.

Marketing Monday - Wish in One Hand

Gah, I'm a horrible and forgetful person lately.  I forgot to do the Sunday Update yesterday and now I'm late for Marketing Monday.  Well, better late than never, so here goes...

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B013RVEF0Y When Jo Mayweather made it her mission to save her fellow djinn from slavery, she never dreamed she'd have to save them from a killer. This week only, WISH IN ONE HAND is totally free. (It's always free with KU. This is for everyone else.) Pick up your copy of this snarky and fun paranormal mystery today!

Friday This n That

I totally brainfarted out that yesterday was Thursday.  Thus, realizing that today was Friday, it occurred to me that I never posted my this n thats.  Derp and all that.

I'm not dead.  Not even close.  I am, however, in a stupid place.  You know the one where you're not doing anything and you're feeling guilty about not doing anything so you don't do anything?  Maybe that's just me.  :shrug:

The prezzies I bought for the neighbor kids are wrapped.  Now I just need to get the prezzies from here to next door.  I also have a tin of cookies for the across-the-street neighbors and I package of cookies for Mom that need to be mailed.  And yet, here I sit.  (Of course, right now it's too early to do anything... excuses excuses)

Sawyer decided that this morning was a good time to revisit his old vaudeville act wherein he pats rhythmically on the front of the dresser ad nauseum. This act was followed by a song routine of old favorites by his partner, Finn.  I thought we'd moved past this, but apparently not.  Silly cats.

I have a song stuck in my head.  (Not Finn's.)  So I looked it up, because I hear it on the radio a lot, but I have no idea who sings it or anything.  It's called Too Sweet and it's by Hozier... Hozier?  Really.  Okay, my brain is now channeling The Mackenzie Brothers, but whatever.  (Yes, I know... their word was hoser, but still...)  Apparently, it's the dude's last name and apparently he's some kind of social justice warrior.  Damn it.  This is why I don't go looking into celebrities.  

And now for something we hope you'll really like...  (If you don't know where that phrase comes from, I'm sorry.  Maybe if I start it out with 'Hey, Rocky... watch me pull a rabbit out of my hat.'  :RAWR: 'Looks like I need a better hat.')

My hands hurt.  Unfortunately, not from writing.  Pulling a sled with logs on it used muscles I didn't know I had and there ya are.

Speaking of logs, Hubs and I were just joking around about what to do with the big trunks - especially the black cherry that's still standing.  It's beautiful wood and it would be a shame to cut it up for firewood, but it's so heavy, we'll never be able to move that stuff on our own.  So, we got the idea to carve it where it is.  I said something about doing a faun/satyr, then he said something about a tableau of woodland creatures.  Then we both said something about turning it into a totem.  With Trump's head on top.  Then Reagan, Lincoln, and Washington. :gigglesnort:  We're so funny.

Okay, that's probably about all I'm worth today.  I need to get back to marketing.  Last day for DYING EMBERS freebie and all that.  Have a great day wherever you are.  Hasta la bye-bye.