Happy February, YAOTLers! Our theme this month is hope, as in our hopes and dreams for 2023. Well, first and foremost, I’ve got a lot of plans on the writing front for the coming year, so I *hope* my typing fingers hold out!

 

Second, I hope I can finish Every Time We Say Goodbye, the final book in my Beryl Blue, Time Cop adventure series, by May. A challenge. The series takes modern-day librarian Beryl on a trip across the 20^th century, stopping time tourists from pilfering the past while hunting a time-traveling assassin and trying to find a way she can be with her World War II soldier boyfriend without breaking time. The final book is the most timey-wimey of them all, with a lot of twisty time jumps and potential paradoxes I hope I can keep track of.

 

Next, I hope to plot Sorrow Point, a paranormal set on the Maine coast where young adult characters battle an ancient curse and a terrifying creature that rises from the icy depths of the Atlantic. Cool and creepy, huh? Oh, and my characters will also learn a few things about themselves, but I hope not to let that get in the way of the action.

 

Finally, I hope to get back to My Bicentennial, a coming-of-age story set in 1976 I began working on in 2020, just as the world turned upside down. The story features a plethora of mood rings, pet rocks, tall ships, girls in platform shoes, guys in powder blue polyester leisure suits, and 8-track tapes playing a groovy and disco-heavy ’70s soundtrack. It’s not technically a YA, but features high school age characters dealing with issues I hope young audiences of any era can relate to – finding a place to belong and learning to accept and celebrate who you are.

I hope that’s enough to keep me busy this year, but not too busy to wish you boatloads of success in following your hopes and dreams in this bright and shiny new 2023.

Janet Raye Stevens writes paranormal mysteries, YA sci-fi, time travel adventures, and the occasional Christmas romance with humor, heart, and a dash of suspense. Connect with Janet at: janetrayestevens.com