Because what better day is there to start a new blog?
Happy New Year, world!
Wow. What a year 2021 was, eh? To quote Monty Python...
Plague aside, though, his year has been quite the whirlwind for me. Exactly a year ago today, I made a New Year's resolution to have a go at publishing the book I'd been writing, never really expecting to actually go through with it.
Fast forward one year, and here I am with a three-book traditional publishing deal, a new career as an ACTUAL PUBLISHED AUTHOR, and three books coming out worldwide this year with my name on the covers. I still can't quite get my head around it.
Add that to the new dog, new baby and amazing new friends who came crashing into my life this year, and I must admit, it's all been pretty incredible. Not always easy (health-wise it's been a shocker, but even still not nearly as bad as it might've been), but never dull. I'm still pinching myself at how lucky I am, and 2022 is going to be an absolute cracker- I just know it.
So here goes... my list of things I'm aiming to achieve in 2022.
Book-related resolutions:
Make more time for reading.
Try to review every book I read- especially now I know how much it means to writers.
Learn to use social media properly, not just for book-related things but also for keeping in touch with people.
Learn to edit videos, for fun as much as for book-related things.
Join an online book club and meet more people who have similar interests to me.
Try to read more outside my normal genres.
Keep on top of this blog- maybe one post per week?
Non book-related resolutions:
Make more time to do things I find therapeutic, such as crocheting toys for my children (yes, I am 32 going on 93).
Teach Charlie sign language.
Help Isabelle to make more friends and start new activities.
Start scentwork and agility classes with Zorro.
Not let my own anxiety or mobility issues get in the way of doing all of the above.
Personal resolutions:
Be more organised.
Stop stressing about things I cannot control.
Learn to accept help when I need it and stop seeing it as a weakness.
Focus on the positives.
Spend more time on the people who matter, and worry less about what others think.
Don't let the pain of the past hold me back from the excitement of the present or future.
That's a lot of resolutions! All of them achievable if I put my mind to it. It's going to be a busy year... wish me luck!
Do you have any New Years' Resolutions you want to share with me? Tell me in the comments below!