Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014...

Impossible!

How can 2013 be over already?! o_O

I hope you have all enjoyed a very happy Christmas and wish you peace and happiness for the coming year.

Thank you all so much for taking to time to read my blog and following my journey. I feel like I have come a long way in the two and a bit years I've been writing and cannot believe I have already celebrated my first anniversary of becoming a published author.

Time really is flying by though and I intend to embrace it, saving my weekends and school holidays for family time, then knuckling down during school hours to get my work done rather than fritter it away online.

The Year in Review...

2013 saw the launch of Allie A. Burrow and the publication of my Young Adult/New Adult series but it has been a steep learning curve as I had to battle with writing to demand, rather than writing the story that is shouting the loudest. I really need to get disciplined and not be so distracted by the internet though; social networking and promotion is a major timesuck and before I know it, a whole morning has passed. Oops.

Way back at the start of the year, I set my usual challenge so what were my resolutions for 2013 and how did I do?

1) Read 50 books

I am absolutely thrilled to have achieved this and actually had a month or so to spare. Writing commitments meant I had to squeeze in reading time in clusters, going long spells without picking up a book and then having a major binge, but hey, I did it. I reached my goal without having to count 2-in-1's and 3-in-1's as separate books ;-)

2) Self-publish my first novel

Alas, I didn't achieve my goal of self-publishing but only because I landed a book deal with a major publisher so I'm not in the slightest bit disappointed. I'm still waiting on some legislation to go through Parliament that directly affects the Peer Pressure series I am writing anyway. I had also hoped to finish Their Last Goodbye but this is still stuck in the pending pile due to getting on with my Popping the Cherry series.

3) Take part in another sponsored event

I smashed this one by taking part in not one, but two sponsored events. First was my inclusion in the On Yer Bike event for Brain Tumour Research and then came the biggie with my skydive to raise funds for Rainbow Trust. I was also a volunteer for one of the Race 4 Life events, rather than a participant, which was incredibly rewarding.

The Year Ahead...

I am coming into 2014 with another book deal under my belt and a lot of plans. Not only am I contracted for Popping the Cherry books two, three, and four, 2014 also sees Christmas is Cancelled switching publishers and being relaunched in time for Christmas. I'd also really like to get the sequel written rather than making readers wait until 2015!

With all of this in mind, it is time to come up with my resolutions for the year ahead, sticking with my usual personal, professional and community themes, so here goes...

1) Read 26 books

I've had to really cut back on my reading challenge for 2014 as there is just too much writing to do and deadlines to be met. If I can average a book a fortnight though, I will end the year happy.

2) Get another 'Allie' book published

Although Allie isn't my main writing persona, I would like to at least keep it ticking over by releasing a minimum of one book a year. Looking ahead at my writing schedule, I'm not sure where I will fit it in but I will give it a darned good go.

3) Volunteer at a charity event

You'll be relieved to know I am hanging up my fundraising boots for a year to give everyone a break from my 'please sponsor me' posts. I have already chosen my charity for 2014 though, Mummy's Star, will assist them in any way that I am able. I would like to volunteer at another charity event during 2014 and if that is on behalf of Mummy's Star then all the better.

So there we have it!

Over to you, have you set any goals for 2014?

How did your 2013 go?

Related Posts

> Happy New Year for 2013
> I'm Throwing Myself Out of a Plane
> On Yer Bike, Aurelia
> New Contract Signed!
> Signed, sealed, but not quite delivered
> What is 'The Call'?
> Time for an update...
> New deal and changes afoot

Happy New Year for 2013

Another year gone in the blink of an eye, so that must mean it is Resolutions time again.

Okay let's start of with the recap, so what were my Resolutions for 2012?

Um... uh-oh!!

1) Shed that extra stone

I haven't got a clue if I've achieved this or not, as I haven't weighed myself in months. I doubt it very much, but my clothes fit well and I feel good in myself, and I certainly don't think I've gained either. I did at least do the Race For Life, albeit walking a lot of it, AND I jogged the Sport Relief 3-mile fun run with my year-old son, raising hundreds of pounds for very worthy causes.

2) Read 100 books

This one was cutting it very close, and resulted in a reading marathon to hit that elusive '100' on Goodreads.

2012 Reading Challenge

Aurelia B Rowl has
read 60 books toward her goal of 100 books.

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60 of 100 (60%)

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3) Complete the first draft of a full manuscript

Well, I did a lot better than that, wouldn't you agree? My first completed manuscript was released eleven days ago, and my second completed manuscript was also contracted and will be released this Spring under my other alter-ego.

Two out of three isn't bad - especially as I stomped all over that third one, which is partly why the others didn't do so well.

So what about my resolutions for 2013?

I'm sticking with the three - one personal, one professional and one other...

1) Read 50 books

After cutting it so close last year, and knowing the number of writing projects in the pipeline, I think just under one book a week should be plenty. If I read more, hooray, but I'd be happy to reach fifty anyway.

2013 Reading Challenge

Aurelia has
read 0 books toward her goal of 50 books.

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0 of 50 (0%)

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2) Self-publish my first novel

This year I want to finally finish Their Last Goodbye, and get that submitted, and then I want to return to Bye Bye, Black Sheep (Peer Pressure #1) and get that self-published this year. Obviously from September, I can treat writing as my job rather than my hobby, and my productivity will hopefully improve dramatically.

3) Take part in another sponsored event

I've been caught by the bug and would like to raise funds for a worthy cause again this year. It is currently a toss-up between doing the Race For Life again, or doing the Manchester Midnight Walk. I have to say, I really fancy doing the midnight one, and then maybe volunteer to be a marshall or carry out some other role for the Race For Life.

So what about you?
What goals have you set yourself for the year ahead?

Related posts:

> New Year's Resolutions for 2012 (13 December 2011)
> Off topic: Race for Life 2012 - for Nan... (18 January 2012)

> Off topic: Sport Relief 2012 (26 March 2012)
> My Poor Neglected Blog (29 June 2012)
> Update: New Year's Resolutions 2012 (20 July 2012)

Reading List: October 2012

Oops, sorry. This post has been sitting in my drafts and it's only just occurred to me that I hadn't published it yet. D'oh!

Time out... and Dilution?

Almost a week since my last post and there's not really very much to update you with.

Obviously it was my birthday last week so I took a few days off (and reminded my husband what I look like again LOL) and caught up on some reading. We seem to have formed a tradition where we all go to Chester Zoo to celebrate my birthday and this year was no exception so off we trundled off, membership cards in hand. We enjoyed glorious weather for the entire day, hooray, and to think Little Miss was not even nine-months old when we first went.

There's no word on my publishing journey to report, although I can expect my first round of 'proper' edits any time now. I get the feeling it will be a fairly quick turnaround so if I disappear off the face of the earth for a few days, that's why. There's also been a delay with the anthology I submitted a story for as Allie A Burrow, so no news there either.

As for the reading... I raced through The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins last week and WOW! If you don't follow me on Facebook, you'll have missed my initial reaction. If you've not read these books, I can happily recommend them, I've even suggested hubby reads it seeing as it is now being used in classrooms.

The past couple of days, I've been laid up in bed after my darling children shared their tummy bug with me. First to go down was Widget, then a couple of days later Little Miss went down (spectacularly short, one episode and she was done) and then by bedtime the following day... my turn. I have a notoriously weak stomach, it's partly why I've been vegetarian for over twenty years, so anything like that hits me hard. Sigh. But I'm on the mend again at last.

So what of my writing?

It's all go still, although I'm trying not to get too caught up in any big projects knowing that my edits are due. I've seen a special submission call for novelettes/novellas which has aroused my interest and with a word count of 5-18K words, it should be fairly quick and straightforward. As usual, I've got more projects on than I can manage, so it's a case of trying to prioritise. I also read this blog post today from a respected publishing professional, which has made me want to put the brakes on somewhat.

Fellow writers and readers alike, what do you make of the Diluting your Author Brand article? Perfect sense or balderdash? Is having too many books out at once damaging your writing career and turning off your audience, or is it your best form of marketing? I'd love to hear your thoughts...

And my final thought... good luck to everyone who entered this year's So You Think You Can Write contest *fingers crossed*!!

Reading List: September 2012

The kids finally went back at school, plus I managed to finish a big writing project, so I got to do some more reading - yay! - with more of my new favourite shifter YA series but then I got stuck into a new writing project and the to-read list got ignored.

Book Review: Return of the Last McKenna by Shirley Jump

Score: 4 out of 5

See Ratings Guide

Dr. Brody McKenna has just returned home from serving as a medic in Afghanistan, and he has one more mission to fulfill...

Standing outside Kate Spencer's sweetshop, he takes a deep breath. Going through that door will take courage, for he's here to keep a promise made to his dying friend. He's prepared for tears or anger—not the deep attraction he feels for sparky-but-stressed Kate. One spontaneous offer of help later, this hero is surrounded by cupcakes, candy canes—and the greatest enticement to forget his past and take a new kind of risk...

Book Review: How the Playboy Got Serious by Shirley Jump

Score: 4 out of 5

See Ratings Guide

Riley McKenna has led a charmed life—until now! Cut off from the family trust fund, he's out on his ear and fending for himself.

When he applies for a job at Stace Kettering's diner, she's not impressed by his blue eyes and easy smile. She has a strict zero-tolerance policy toward pampered playboys, having learned her lesson once already!

Riley thinks Stace will fall for him like all the others—but he's about to discover that his playboy ways just don't cut it in the real world...

Book Review: Much Ado About Magic by Shanna Swendson

Score: 4.5 out of 5

See Ratings Guide

Read more about it on author website

To Do: Manage Magical Mayhem, Save the Company, Save the World

Katie Chandler is back in New York and at Magic, Spells, and Illusions, Inc. – and just in time. The city’s in the grip of a magical crime wave from spells that wizarding whiz Owen Palmer thinks look awfully familiar, and the rogue firm Spellworks is raising its profile in the magical world by selling protective amulets. It’s Katie’s job as the new director of marketing for MSI to fight this battle of public perception while Owen and the other wizards try to uncover what’s really going on.

What Katie doesn’t realize is that her idea to stage a showcase for MSI’s magical achievements is playing right into a devious plot more than three decades in the making. Now Katie has to do damage control that has nothing to do with marketing. To save the magical world, she’ll have to prove who the real enemy is, and doing that will require digging deeper into Owen’s mysterious past than he wants anyone to go. If she fails, she not only stands to lose a magical war, but she could also lose the man she loves.

Reading List: August 2012

The school holidays put paid to writing plans so it was the perfect time to get through some reading...

Always On The Go

Phew! The bank holiday weekend is over and there's only a week left of the school holidays, which means I should be able to get back into a routine again soon.

Conway Castle

We all took off to North Wales again for the long weekend and it was good to relax, even if my son and I did struggle a bit with our colds - who gets a cold in August?! - but I also managed to do lots of reading, some more planning for Damsel in Deceit (now a 3-oart series at least!) and I also wrote a 2,000 word short story called Jilly's Folly. I've now got plenty of reviews to write that will be springing up on here over the coming weeks, but I also came across a writing competition whilst I was away.

Book Review: The Bride Wore Chocolate by Shirley Jump

Score: 4 out of 5

See Ratings Guide

Read excerpt here

Life couldn’t be more perfect for Candice Woodrow. Her gourmet gift basket company is thriving, and she’s set to marry steady, dependable Barry. There’s just one wrench in the fairytale. Two weeks before her wedding she wakes up in the wrong man’s bed. Candace thinks she’ll be able to run out the door and forget all about Michael Vogler, but the Boston millionaire has other plans for the jittery bride.

As the wedding approaches, Candace’s life is further complicated by a thrill-seeking grandma and a meddlesome mother whose marriage track record rivals Elizabeth Taylor’s. She attempts to drown her sorrows in chocolate, but with a sexy bachelor appearing on her doorstep at every turn – she finds herself wondering if there’s enough of the sweet stuff in the world to stop her heart from racing every time he comes near.

Reading list: July 2012

I've been really busy with my Christmas WIP and try to resist the call of the many books in my 'to read' pile. You can always tell when I'm getting ready to write a love scene, it's almost like I have to de-sensitise myself to it so that my own scenes are tame by comparison.

So many books to read (546 unread books on my kindle alone!) and so little time...

Reading List: June 2012

I've been busy writing this month and trying to resist the call of many books so these are the titles that broke through my resolve...

Reading List: May 2012

After being very lax in April and not getting around to any reading, which I put down to moving house, I have been making up for it during May!

(Amazon.com links below)

I'm Back!

Wowsers, it's been a while!

So where have I been? Nowhere glamorous, I assure you...

April saw us moving house, only one end of the road to the other, and we did it all ourselves courtesy of our estate car and a couple of days van hire. It was exhausting!!And then there was one nightmare after another trying to get a landline and the internet up and running, finally getting back online this time last week. Hallelujah!

Since my last post, my youngest has started at Nursery School, going 5 afternoons a week and loving it. I hoped it would be enough time to get some writing done but it's not as simple as that. Instead I have been doing housework, or getting out with our dog for the first time since my eldest was born - rather than subjecting hubby to the late night walk - but at least the weather has been glorious for it. Here's a pic of our usual walk, virtually on our doorstep:

Reading List: March 2012

Here are the books that I read during March 2012:

Amazon.com links can be found below

Just for fun: how fast do you read?

The weekend is over so here's a little bit of fun for a Monday morning...

Source: Staples eReader Department

Reading list: February 2012

Here are the titles I read during February 2012 and my personal ratings:

Amazon.com links can be found below)

Reading list: January 2012

Here are the titles I read during January 2012 and my personal ratings: 

(Amazon.com links can be found below)

Book Review: We'll Always Have Paris by Jessica Hart

Score: 4 out of 5

See Ratings Guide

"I’ve done it! Thanks to my awesome powers of persuasion, elusive-but-dreamy TV star Simon Valentine is presenting our new romance documentary!

It wasn’t easy, though – Simon thinks his status as prime-time financial guru turned pin-up is ridiculous! He says he now steers well clear of affairs of the heart, but surely he must have one romantic bone left in his price-indexed body?

Much as I’d like to find out first-hand, I’ve sworn off men after a disastrous ending with my last boyfriend. Must remain professional – though it won’t be easy…we’re filming in the most romantic city of all…

Clara x"