Yes, I meant 2023, as it’s been quite a year, with lots of hard work and a lot of positives. Thank you everyone for making it so!
On the home front
Let’s start with home life, which was disrupted most of the past two years with house renovations. While redecorating was finished by Christmas 2022, we then had the kitchen extension built which took the first half of 2023.
Many of you followed along eagerly, with a strong sense of schadenfreude I suspect LOL. Now of course, all the pain of washing up in the cloakroom sink for five months is forgotten as I spread myself around my gorgeous spacious kitchen, proving the adage that mess expands to fill the space available.
Once that was over, we had a brief break before tackling the courtyard garden, full of builders’ rubble, overgrown beds and ancient, tatty pavers. Now it’s a gorgeous, clean space waiting for plants. My children gave me a pile of nursery vouchers for Christmas, and they will be spent soon!
Local literary projects
Two significant projects engaged me heavily in 2023. The first was running a Rotary-sponsored Forest-wide writing competition for young people, under my Dean Scribblers hat.
Of course, it wasn’t enough to simply judge the entries and award prizes – we also produced an anthology of the longlisted tales which we gave to the long listees, to their delight.
Rotary hosted a lovely prize giving evening which – despite horrendous weather – was really well attended. Made all the angst and work (more or less!) worthwhile.
This wasn’t the only anthology I worked on. Dean Writers Circle celebrated 45 years of existence in 2023, and we launched our latest anthology at an event in September. I was gutted, however, to be ill with Covid. Not only did I miss the launch, but also missed sharing a platform with Forest resident and internationally famed historical fiction writer, Andrew Taylor. AAGGH! Children’s writer Shoo Raynor stepped in and I was told it was very entertaining.
The anthology, with many award-winning entries, is a true testament to the talent in the Circle, and I’m hugely proud of it. They are on sale locally, or email/message me if you would like one.
And then there was my own writing …
Several people, some of them mildly unhappy with the outcome of my 1950s Aussie-set novel Keepers, (readers will understand why) had asked for a sequel, so I obliged. Walking in the Rain, telling Alf Hall’s story, launched in February and has done nicely, with 20 to 30% of people who read Keepers going on to read Walking in the Rain. Hmmm, says this writer – the implications?
It was then time to pick up the sequel to my middle grade fantasy trilogy Guardians of the Forest – a book I’d started three years previously. Fun to write, and with a lot of help from my dear friends and critique partners, Winter of the White Horde was let loose into the wild in November. Together with the prequel, Legend of the Winged Lion released in 2022, this now completes the Guardians set.
And then for something completely different. Spurred by being shortlisted in the Historical Writers Association short story competition, in December I released Who can believe in witches? and other stories, a collection of my historical fiction shorts and flash pieces. (Has anyone else noticed that 2023 was the year of the W? Meaningful? No idea!)
All well and good, but what about sales?
This has been an exciting year in that respect. Normally, I bump along with a handful of sales here and there, but mid year I bit the bullet and handed over money to Meta for Facebook ads. As you can see, the impact was dramatic, with Kindle Unlimited readers taking to Keepers (the blue column) especially – the equivalent of about 1700 books.
Together with kindle eBooks and paperbacks, plus local paperback sales, over 4,000 units across all my titles have gone to readers this year. This is nothing to get excited about for a great many writers, but it is hugely exciting for me. What’s more, I’ve actually made a profit! I will hasten to add here that the success of Facebook ads has been hugely variable. When (if) I work out the magic formula I’ll let all my author friends know, for sure.
This is where I say thank you so much to those of you who have bought any of my books – and in some cases all. And when you enjoy them and spread the word, and others take a chance, then that’s the icing on the cake. I am ever grateful to you.
So there we have it, the year in review
Throw in a trip to Switzerland to visit my daughter and climb a mountain, plus a landmark birthday celebrated with a family weekend on the coast in Wales, it’s been pretty full and positive. More to be grateful for.
Coming up – 2024
I have plans and goals, but that’s for another post (before you fall asleep).
Thank you for listening, thank you for caring, and happy new year!
A busy year for you between writing and renovations. At least it now all seems to have come together very nicely so congratulations and well done! Who knows what 2024 will bring – but let’s hope that it is much better than the angst many people faced in 2023. I guess only time will tell.