Well, Hello 2015!

...and a Happy New Year to you all!!!

Wow!

Another year has flown by in the blink of an eye but I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year with those near and dear to you.

After two months of having either my husband at home or my children off school with illness, today is the first day that I have been home alone and able to get down to some work. So, to kick off my blog for 2015, it's time to look back over the past twelve months and come up with some goals for the next twelve months.

The Year in Review...

2014 was, to put it bluntly, a bit of a nightmare and I am very glad that it's over.

My husband was made redundant at the beginning of the year and then found himself starting yet another new job at the end of the year, which we hadn't planned on, so there was a lot of stress and upheaval in the Rowl household as I'm sure you can imagine. Thankfully everything seems to have worked out for the best but I hope he gets to finish this year with the same employer. My birthday was also a bit of a strange one and we have been plagued by various viruses over November and December, but - touch wood - we are all better now.

Writing proved a massive struggle last year, with my mind elsewhere rendering me unable to focus on projects as well as I would have liked. Amidst all the chaos and uncertainty of those early months, I had to force myself to sit down and write A Girl Called Malice and it took absolutely everything out of me, both mentally and physically as I fought to get Alice's story down on paper. I succeeded in getting Alice's story out within a year of Popping the Cherry, which was my biggest target, alas what turned out to be my biggest triumph of 2014 (and my writing career to date) also turned out to be the most disheartening experience.

For whatever reason, readers aren't picking up my pride and joy. Despite the amazing reviews when readers do give Alice a chance, sales are still in the lower end of double figures (as far as I can tell). I would be lying if I stated that it didn't bother me. My already shaken confidence and wavering self-esteem took a beating which, combined with everything else going on around me, took its toll and I guess I hit burnout or something like that. Needing time to regroup, I abandoned my NaNoWriMo project and decided on a complete break once the revisions for the re-released Christmas is Cancelled had been completed.

I spent the last two months of 2014 doing the bare minimum, instead enjoying time with my husband and children and relaxing (read: recovering from yet another lurgy the kids brought home from school) over Christmas and New Year. I'm pleased to say that the break has done me the world of good and I am finally getting ideas once more, where prior to the break I had nothing. My self-imposed break also gave me plenty of time to reflect on just how much I have achieved in a relatively short space of time so I ended the year on a positive note.

Now with all of that out in the open, it's time for me to continue my annual tradition of setting new year's resolutions for the year ahead but first, let's check back to see what my resolutions for 2014 were and see how I did...

1) Read 26 books

Despite my fears that I wouldn't be able to get much reading done, I am delighted to say that I smashed my small target of a book a fortnight and ended the year having read 60 books. Woohoo!!

2) Get another 'Allie' book published

I managed to achieve this by default with the publication of my short story, For One Night Only, being released as a standalone 'Flirt' in addition to the anthology that was released in 2013. Considering the year I had, I am still chalking this one up as a win even though it wasn't new material.

3) Volunteer at a charity event

2014 saw me hang up my fundraising boots in favour of volunteering yet I successfully completed both in the end. First off, I took part in a 'bag packing' event at a local supermarket in aid of Mummy's Star, which will continue to be my chosen charity for 2015. Secondly, my husband and I accompanied our children as they walked 10K around Tatton Park to raise funds for Marie Curie, smashing their fundraising target so I am very proud of them indeed!

The Year Ahead...

The good news is that I enter 2015 in a much better state of mind than 2014 ended and I am raring to go.

My childrens' birthdays both fall within the next seven days, with my daughter turning 6 and my son turning 8, so my big push to get the new writing year started will have to wait until next week - as ever - but I shall be getting on with research and planning in the meantime. Speaking of birthdays, this year is a biggie for me...yup, this is the year that I turn 40 and I am determined to celebrate it somehow!!!

Anyway, enough waffling, it's time to come up with my resolutions for 2015...

1) Read 50 books

Buoyed by the success of last year, I've raised my game for 2015 and pledged to read 50 books which you can keep up with here:

2015 Reading Challenge

Aurelia has
read 2 books toward her goal of 50 books.

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2 of 50 (4%)

view books

2) Get at least two books written and released

With two books still under contract for Facing the Music #3 and #4, I am not short of work to be getting on with, especially since the deadlines for both have already passed. [Oops] They are both full-length novels though, so I doubt I will get both of them released this year but they surely can't be as difficult to write as A Girl Called Malice (she says!). 

Now I know that I should make both Facing the Music stories a priority since they are already contracted, however I really don't want to make my readers wait any longer than they have to for the sequel to Christmas is Cancelled, Phil's story, so that is my other main target for 2015 in addition to Facing the Music #3.

Ideally, I'll get a new 'Allie' book finished too, but one thing I've learned from the past 12 months is that sometimes things happen beyond my control and not to beat myself up.

3) Get disciplined

I know that I usually have a charity/community theme for my third resolution and I will continue to volunteer for charity events that come up but I feel this resolution needs to take precedence. It is no secret that I am an internet junkie and I will often lose entire mornings or afternoons on social media with nothing to show for it. This year, I need to get tough and be more disciplined. While the kids are at school, I need to limit my 'social' time to short coffee breaks and lunchtime, then use the rest of my alone time to write or research so don't be alarmed if you see a lot less of me between the hours of 9am to 3pm, from Monday to Friday.

Can I just add that this is the quite possibly the most challenging resolution that I have ever set for myself? EEK!!

And if that lot isn't enough...

Way back in September 2012, I set myself a goal of having 'x' amount of books published by the time I turn 40. The 'x' ranged from five to ten so eventually plumped for the middle ground of seven. The good news is that *technically* I have already had six books published, however that includes a re-release so should perhaps only be considered as five which leaves me with just nine months to get two books released.

No pressure then, eh? Ha!!

Over to you, have you set any goals for 2015?

How did your 2014 go?

Related Posts

> Goodbye 2013, Hello 2014
> Summer is over so it's back to work...
> Happy New Year for 2013
> Are You A Goal Setter Too?
> New Year's Resolutions for 2012

Summer is over so it's back to work...

(c) Image credit

Hey everyone!

The school holidays are over and the kids are back at school so I figured an update was long overdue, especially with lots of exciting stuff still to come this year.

WalkTen (c) ABR

Our summer started with the kids' sponsored 10K walk at Tatton Park to raise funds for Marie Curie, which The Hub and I therefore did too, but it was a lovely evening rounded off beautifully with fireworks.

We then took ourselves off to North Wales for a couple of weeks over the holidays. The weather wasn't great but we still managed to get around several castles, a spooky house in Conway, the Welsh Mountain Zoo, and various jaunts to the beach.

Puffin Island (N. Wales) (c) ABR

The good and bad thing about where we stay is the lack of phone signal, let alone no WiFi, so I always find it hard when I'm such an internet junkie. On the upside, I got a lot of reading done once the kids were in bed for the night which you can see on my 'Just Finished' shelf on Goodreads if you're interested.

Aurelia's just-finished book montage

Aurelia B. Rowl's Just Finished books »

On the writing front, the year so far has been all about Malice, the mean girl from Popping the Cherry, and getting her story down on paper. All being well, A Girl Called Malice will be hitting the virtual shelves on October 3rd and I cannot wait for you to read her story. In associated news, Popping the Cherry is being repackaged with a new cover to tie in with A Girl Called Malice so I hope to have those to share with you soon. All very exciting!

Also coming soon is the re-release of Christmas is Cancelled on December 1st and I cannot begin to tell you how thrilled I am for my debut story to be taken under the Harlequin wing. Sadly it will mean a new cover, even though I adore the original one, but I have high hopes for what the Carina UK team will come up with.

Next up is an 'Allie' project but after that, it's back into the world of Popping the Cherry to get stuck into books 3 and 4. I've already been given the nod by my editor so book 3 is going to be Nathan's story and book 4 will be Flick's story assuming everything goes to plan. Even though the books are all interlinked, with the storyline and timelines overlapping, you can read them as standalone stories and out of order if you don't mind the spoilers in the subsequent books.

If anybody is interested in joining my team, Aurelia's Antics, on Facebook and/or Goodreads to get sneak previews and hidden insights along with access to advance review copies, just send a request to join or get in touch.

Anyway, even waffling, I have a book trailer to make and much to do (including a new release as Allie this month) so I'd better crack on with it. Next time I post, it will hopefully be with gorgeous new covers so make sure you're following me.

Bye for now,
Aurelia x

Time for an update...

I must offer my apologies as I have been somewhat quiet of late when it comes to talking about myself and my projects, so, here's the long overdue update...

Earlier this month I finally managed to do my charity tandem skydive, after an earlier aborted attempted a few days previous thanks to the typical British summer. Once I've got the official pictures along with all of the sponsorship money, I will do a separate post as it was absolutely awesome and deserves a whole blog about it.

The school summer holidays are in full swing so my writing time is virtually non-existent, and my poor purse is crying over the purchase of new school uniforms now that Little Miss is all set to join Widget at 'big school' *sniff*.

Unless you've been hiding a rock, you'll have seen my posts about Popping the Cherry, which is due to be released in less than five weeks and is already available for pre-order - exciting times indeed!! I am now hard at work organising the blog tours - yes, plural - to coincide with its release on September 19th. Hint: there will be all sorts of giveaways ;-)

I was hoping to have Christmas is Cancelled... Again written and ready for release this November, but unfortunately, I am not SuperWoman after all, and have had to make the difficult decision to defer the sequel to Christmas is Cancelled until next year instead. On the upside, it will be very interesting to see how the season affects sales for book #1, especially as it came out so close to Christmas last year, and I am pleased it is getting a full season all to itself.

Up next is the follow-up story to Popping the Cherry and I have deadlines looming, so I am rather glad that I will have both children at school full-time very soon. A Girl Called Malice features many of the same characters, but my hope is that it can be read as a standalone, although reading them in order is recommended. Assuming I can meet my deadlines and produce a decent first draft, I would envisage it to be out sometime around Spring, but don't hold me to it. I also have at least one more story planned with this set of characters, which I will get onto after Christmas.

On a final note, I will need to switch to 'Allie' for a while over Winter in order to get a story completed which is already well underway but got pushed aside when the publishing contracts came in. Ideally, I'll get that one finished and sent out to my publisher for consideration by Spring.

I would talk about craft topics, or about my inspiration, but many of the topics I'd like to share with you will actually be coming up during my blog tour, so keep your eyes peeled. And on that note, that's me in a nutshell.

Thanks for sticking with me :-)

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*!!

Entering my 38th year...

Crumbs, that makes me feel old!

But yes, today is my 37th birthday and I had the delights of supermarket shopping and harvest festival at my son's school to honour it. My daughter and I had a fun, girly morning watching one of my presents, Disney's Cinderella, and she was utterly transfixed by it. I then laughed my head off at the bonus feature of Tangled Ever After, it's been a while since I laughed like that!!

The afternoon was spent helping my little monsters make me a birthday cake. Letting loose a 5 and 3 year old in the kitchen may not have been my smartest idea but it was a lot of fun and it tasted great!

Then it was Indian takeaway of dinner, and there's a bottle of wine chilling in the fridge for when I'm ready for it. And it's probably best to ignore not one, but two boxes of Maltesers with my name on them.

So what does the next year look like? Well...

• It will see my first, and hopefully my second publication, which I'm still waiting to hear from. Ideally, there will be at least one or two more too.
• It will bring in my first three royalty statements, and I hope to continue that one into the many years beyond.
• It will also see my youngest child start at school full-time (definite mixed feelings on that one, in a 'yay' but 'sob' kind of way) which, in turn, will see me step up and embark on my writing 'career'.

The next twelve months will certainly be interesting, and I can't wait to get stuck in...

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.

My poor neglected blog

Oh dear, it's been a month since I said I would get back into the swing of things on here.

Whoops!

But in my favour, at the time of writing it, my deadline was June 10th and I thought I'd have more time. Instead, the deadline got changed to July 10th and I've been a busy bee working on a special Christmas & New Year related story.

At the beginning of the month, I went on holiday with my family and my in-laws, staying in a gorgeous villa in a lovely resort in Majorca soaking up some much needed sunshine and we all had a lovely time. The laptop went too so I could carry on with the WIP (still thinking I had to submit the day after I got back) but didn't have internet so couldn't do any updates.