I’m not big on New Year’s resolutions, but I’m making a writing resolution this year. I’m committing to doing my own writing, which all too often gets back-burnered.

A few years ago, a group of writers was surveyed about how they would feel if they didn’t write. Their five most common answers:

• “I’d never know if I could have made it.”
• “I’d never find my voice.”
• “I’d never get to show others what I’m capable of.”
• “I’d hate not having the freedom to do what I want.”
• “I couldn’t live a life true to myself.”

I don’t know about you, but at least two of those sentiments echo my own feelings. Yet there’s another, stronger emotion that haunts me. I know I have books inside of me. And I so admire the authors who can push past whatever doubt or time constraints they may have and turn their thoughts into words and words into published works.

I’m not 100 percent sure what drives the writers I work with as a writing coach or whose work I’ve edited. But I’m damn happy to say that last year, eight of them published the novels, memoirs, and nonfiction books they’d been working on. Here are my all-stars and their books:

Despite—and because of—his Alzheimer’s diagnosis, Sam Simon, one of the original Nader’s Raiders, wrote Dementia Man, an intimate account of his life before and after his diagnosis that points to how our society needs to change to accommodate these kinds of cognitive challenges. The memoir is based on his one-man play by the same name.

In her book Deep Medicine for Trauma, transformational healer and hypnotherapist Jane Hiatt guides readers into the hidden territories where trauma actually lives—the subconscious—alleviating distress through five powerful, often overlooked treatments delivered within the container of hypnotherapy. It hit Amazon’s #1 New Release a week before its official pub date, making Jane an Amazon bestselling author.

In The Imperfect Storm: Successfully Navigating the Seas of Retirement, Derek J. Reed, CFP®, CLU®, CAP®, blends financial wisdom with the gritty reality and gripping stories of life at sea—a reality that hits close to home. As the son of a swordfisherman who captained the Andrea Gail until just a couple of months before it was lost in the 1991 Perfect Storm, Reed brings a deeply personal perspective to preparing for life’s financial uncertainties.

First-time novelist Pam Moulton published A Change to the Plan, a slow-burn, contemporary romance that’s heartfelt, funny, and full of sizzling chemistry. A second novel is already in the works.

Stephen N. Brett wanted to leave behind a legacy focused on his career in insurance. He never figured that years after his retirement, he would continue to impact the industry through his book, In Search of Failure: An Underwriter’s Journal, which he wrote exclusively for family, friends, and former colleagues and associates.

Sometimes, the best-laid plans aren’t originally plans at all. Jeff Hutcheson published the third novel in his cozy Lost Key Mystery series. Within weeks following the publication Going Beneath, he was already at work on the series’ fourth novel.

Prolific Barbara Hinske published Threads of Kindness last year, the 11th novel in her Rosemont series, in which, as the tagline says, “every chapter feels like coming home.” Having already finished the series’ 12th novel, the USA Today bestselling author is turning her attention to her other book series, but ideas for the next Rosemont novel are already percolating.

Early in 2025, Post Hill Press released Jeff Swaney’s memoir None of the Answers: Racing Through Life in Reverse. It’s a rich, textured page-turner, full of humor, wisdom, challenges, and adventure–so much adventure, it’s hard to believe that Jeff survived all his exploits.

I’m proud to have been involved with each of the above authors and books, just as I’m proud to be working with those who are still writing or rewriting their novels, memoirs, and nonfiction books.

Here’s to all of us accomplished and/or aspiring writers, and to a year with no writing regrets! May our writing resolutions and projects take shape and see the light of day.