New year, new reading challenge, new blog focus

As the head of the San Diego chapter of the Nonfiction Authors Association, one of my goals for this year is to read more nonfiction.

While I did actually read a good number of nonfiction books last year, I didn’t necessarily blog about them – in part because my 2015 focus for The Buttontapper blog was on erotica and sex writing.

2016 is going to be different, as I’m no longer focusing on sex writing or erotica here, but will instead be zeroing in on two very different interests: mysteries and travel writing.

As a result, I’m making it my mission to read at least 20 nonfiction books by December 31st.

A reading challenge

To that end, I’ve joined The Introverted Reader’s 2016 Nonfiction Reading Challenge at the Master level!

I’m hoping to post new nonfiction reviews every other week or so, to share some of the most helpful writing and how-to books I’ve read, as well as my opinions of other types of nonfictional works. There’s quite a wide variety within the realm of nonfiction, which is part of what makes being part of the Nonfiction Authors Association so exciting.

Here are some of the nonfiction titles currently in my To Read pile:

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• Writing and Selling Your Mystery Novel by Hallie Ephron
• The Everything Guide to Writing Your First Novel, also by Hallie Ephron (it’s not my first rodeo, but I’m always curious to learn new novel-writing tricks & tips)
• Candy Girl: A Year in the Life of an Unlikely Stripper by Diablo Cody (which you may remember from my Secret Santa post)
• The Cunning Linguist by Richard Lederer (another Secret Santa book!)
• How to Make Real Money Selling Books (Without Worrying About Returns): A Complete Guide to the Book Publishers’ World of Special Sales by Brian Jud (a fellow NFAA member!)
• The Fire Outside My Window: A Survivor Tells the True Story of California’s Epic Cedar Fire by Sandra Millers Younger (a fellow San Diego Writers, Ink member)

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New blog focus

While we’re on the subject of new challenges, let’s talk briefly about my new blog focus.

I was originally tempted to keep my fiction and nonfiction writing separate, but I’ve decided that it’s simply too tiring to cross-post things at all my different websites. Therefore, I’m streamlining everything and making Buttontapper.com my main online home once and for all.

The Buttontapper blog in 2016 will feature personal posts about the things I’m reading and writing, as well as the occasional open calls for submissions to Buttontapper Press (or check the Submissions page to keep on top of that!).

I’ll also be working on archiving most of the sexy stuff I’ve written over the past few years, as 2016 moves on, since it’s not a genre I want to continue writing in at this point in my life.

I certainly mean no disrespect to any of the awesome sex writers I know and love (and there’s no way I’m ever going to stop reading sexy memoirs!), but for right now it’s just not a genre I am personally willing to invest more of my own time exploring.

I hope you’ll continue along with me on my reading and writing journey, even with this new focus on mysteries and travel, and I look forward to sharing more stories with you throughout the coming year.

Onward!