2025 comes to a close. It’s been a big year, with lots of challenges, successes and failures. I published, read, watched and gamed. I’ve written, drawn and programmed. I’ve met some goals, and missed others.

Overall, I’m glad with how 2025 turned out. Maybe I could have done a lot more, but I also could have done a lot less. So, I am a happy author-man.

As for 2026, I’m hitting the ground running with my suggestion to-do list already keeping me productive on a daily basis. I’m excited to see how much I can get done next year.

Projects

The big project news of 2025 was publishing Champion Bold, my first science fiction novel. I’ve heard some good reviews, and I’m working on two sequel books (one direct sequel, and one following a popular secondary character).

There isn’t a single project on my list that I didn’t work on this year. I world built or wrote important scenes. I developed characters and outlined plots. I’m looking forward to bringing more to print, and I’m hoping to get more of them to my readers soon.

2026 Goals

• Major Project: Get the Colonel Lieutenant to print, or at least final draft
• Major Project: Get Orcfyre to print, or at least final draft.
• Major Project: Get 1st Minnesota story book 1 to rough draft
• Minor Projects: Get each project to detailed outline, some scenes written.

Books

I fell short of my reading goal by a good number: I finished 14 books out of a goal of 36. But that’s largely because I’m still adjusting to not bussing anymore. In the summer I can read on the porch, but in the winter I have to make time.

Most of what I did read was fiction, either from my Tom Clancy re-read or from the Shanarra series I’m slowly working through. I most disappointed I haven’t finished more of my research books, particularly Seven Plots. But, we move on.

2026 Goals

• Finish 24 books total
• Finish audiobook of War and Peace
• Finish 3 Research books
• Finish 6 Non-Fiction books

Movies and Shows

I finished 18 movies and 11 seasons of TV shows in 2025. I’m happy with the number of movies I finished, but a bit disappointed I only for through 11 seasons. That’s less than one a month. My lists of both are long and getting longer, so this is definitely something I want to get better on.

2026 Goals

• Finish 24 movies (2 a month)
• Finish 18 seasons of shows (1.5 a month)

Games

I only finished 3 story games in 2023. Now, this isn’t a lot, but it doesn’t take into account open games (games without stories). those game I could replay multiple times without really finishing them.

For 2026, when I start an open game, I’m going to set myself a challenge. Something like ‘get these achievements’ or ‘win as this faction’. That way, I have a set goal that I can reach, and when I reach it I can move on, and always comeback to replay for a different challenge later.

The way I incorporated the games into my suggestion list (one day is story game, next day is open game, then back) helps immensely.

2026 Goals

• Finish six story games
• Finish ten open challenges.

Events

I managed to get to two conventions, two brewery events, and my launch party this year. That’s not bad. I’ve got one event for sure lined up in 2026, and several others I’ve got my eye on or I’m on waiting lists for. I’m considering bringing back Book and Beer, if only to keep myself going to events. We’ll see how that goes.

2026 Goals

Just…write and be happy, dude.