Welcome to Petit Fours and Hot Tamales, a blog created by a group of writers and readers who live along the East Coast, from Georgia to Maryland. Our new blog serves a selection of writing and reading styles to satisfy any palette, from sweet inspiration to hot and spicy and everything in between. We offer an eclectic mix of genres, ranging from historical romance and romantic suspense to young adult and women’s fiction.
We’re a group of friends who got together to share a bit of the writing knowledge we have learned over the years on the path to publication as [...]

I like the sound of goals verse resolutions. Resolutions imply that I’m bad and need to change while goals say that I can achieve something. I like a positive spin because then I’m more likely to accomplish what I’m going after. This year my goals are:
1. To set achievable goals. In the past I’ve set mine so high that I couldn’t reach them. I want some high enough I have to work hard for them but some low enough to feel good about myself by reaching them, at least part of the time.
2. I will finish 2 new books this [...]

Generally speaking, I am not too fond of New Year’s resolutions. Goals are set too high because of the excitement about starting fresh. At the end of the year, many of us look back and reflect on unrealized aspirations, which create feelings of disappointment and, in some cases, feelings of self-loathing. Not a good way to end a year.
This year I am trying something new. I am going to follow my own advice and set SMART goals to avoid the disappointment. I wrote an article about it once that you are all welcome to read. It’s on the Craft of [...]

Let me preface this by saying how much I dislike New Year resolutions. Too often, we set our goals too high and wind up feeling like @#$% when we fail. That said, I sat down, thought a while, wrote several drafts and came up with what I felt were goals that I could have a reasonable chance of achieving in 2009.

Writing Goals:

1. Write–even when I’d rather dive back under the covers and snooze on my days off. And even when I’m whining that I’m “too tired”.
2. Stay off the rabbit trails. I need to [...]

Hi Ladies,
I enjoyed reading Nicki and Tami’s goals. I think I fit somewhere in the middle of these two. I set goals and I usually accomplish them, although on occasion, I fly by the seat of my pants and take off down a rabbit trail for a while.
For instance, I write Romantic Suspense, but one day I got an idea for a “sweet” romance and spent the next few days pounding out the first few chapters. Half-way through the fourth chapter I stopped to write the synopsis and cover letter and shipped it off to Avalon Books in N.Y. [...]

I’m not very good at keeping New Year’s resolutions, though I always make a few every year.
One year I tried reverse psychology, and my goals sounded like: Don’t finish projects, don’t be organized, and eat a lot more chocolate. It didn’t work, but at least I could say I kept my resolutions that year, especially that last one.

One set of resolutions I do try to keep is my writing goals for the year. I keep them fluid, but I definitely make a specific list at the beginning of each year. So here’s what I’ve got for the coming year:
Linsey’s [...]

I’m the opposite of Nicki. I have to make it a big production if I’m going to be able to accomplish something. I NEED a certain *date* that is all important and looming out there for me to either start or finish a goal. Sounds silly, but it works for me… So, goal setting is kind of a big thing in my life. It’s my big push to get something accomplished.
I do have big plans for 2009. Most of my 2008 goals got put on hold so they’ve been revamped and will be the kick off for my 2009 [...]