This is a magical time of year. Christmas and Hanukah are over. Holiday festivities and maddening crowds are beginning to slowly dissipate and life in my beach town in Southern California is quieter than normal. There’s an unspoken invitation in the days before the new year that offer an opportunity to plan an awesome New Years Eve party (or at least plan a kickass outfit)…as well as a time for reflection. Some people will make resolutions with the best of short-term intentions, but the lack of long-term discipline. Others won’t bother due to a hangover and the realization that it’s business as usual Monday morning either way.

Me? I know better than making promises I can’t keep! However, I am the queen of introspection and observation. Don’t be impressed. It’s how I roll 365 days of the week. The author in me insists there’s no greater occasion than a new beginning (bows to 2016) to reflect on the past (waves adieu to 2015).2015 had its ugly moments. The barbaric ISIS attacks in Paris at Charlie Hebdo and later at three sites in the city. The senseless mass shootings in America and the subsequent unwillingness of legislators to discuss measures on gun control. And then there’s Donald Trump. Ugh! Don’t get me started! I won’t dwell on the bad. It’s too damn depressing and luckily wonderful things happened in 2015 too. Or at least one fantastic thing did.

On June 26, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of same-sex marriage, unequivocally stating that all citizens of the U.S. have the fundamental right to marry. It was a landmark decision and one that has personal significance to me as the mother of a gay son, who is no hurry to get married anytime soon but now has the right when the time comes. No one person is more deserving than another because of the color of their skin, their sexuality or their religion. Not everyone agreed with the ruling, but too bad (take a seat Kim Davis and if possible, please fade completely in 2016). Change is an important part of growth. With it comes the possibility of renewal and hope.Personally, 2015 was a productive year. I sat on two author panels, discussing the representation of minorities in LGBT romance at GRNW and doing a general Q & A at GRL. Both were great experiences and yeah… I was nervous as hell! Lol. I looked at them as personal opportunities for growth and learning. And honestly, I’d love to do it again! I also had three books released. Woohoo! Books 2 & 3 in my Right & Wrong series and book 4 of Better Than Stories, Better Than Safe. I’m proud of both series and in 2016, I’ll be embarking on yet a new one, beginning with the release of A Kind of Truth on January 8. This is a spin-off series of Better Than with a new cast of characters. I’m excited to introduce the boys from NYC and I’m thrilled book 1 is coming out as the New Year begins. It goes with my theme of new beginnings and fresh starts. 🙂So what about 2016? I hope we see more progress in the fight for LGBT rights next year. The path has been etched out but there is still so much to do. I hope for strong leadership in the 2016 elections; free of bigotry, grandstanding or racism (a la Trump). Personally, I hope to write a ton, read a ton and if possible, travel (Europe?). And for everyone, I hope each new beginning leads toward a source of joy.

Here’s to peace, prosperity and health in 2016!

Happy Reading & Happy New Year,

Lane Hayes

Lane Hayes is grateful to finally be doing what she loves best. Writing full-time! It’s no secret Lane loves a good romance novel. An avid reader from an early age, she has always been drawn to well-told love story with beautifully written characters. These days she prefers the leading roles to both be men. Lane discovered the M/M genre a few years ago and was instantly hooked. Her debut novel was a 2013 Rainbow Award finalist and subsequent books have received Honorable Mentions in the 2014 and 2015 Rainbow Awards. She loves red wine, chocolate and travel (in no particular order). Lane lives in Southern California with her amazing husband and the coolest yellow Lab ever in an almost empty nest.

Books by Lane Hayes (Dreamspinner Press):

Better Than Good, Better Than Chance, Better Than Friends, Better Than Safe, The Right Words, The Wrong Man & The Right Time

*Coming Soon…A Kind Of Truth (January 8, 2016)

Contact Information:

Website: http://lanehayes.wordpress.com

Twitter:   @LaneHayes3

Facebook: LaneHayesauthor

Email:   lanehayes@ymail.com