My Year in Review
So how did the goals go?
With a little goal post shifting, not too bad. Although I only nailed three, I managed to take small steps on most of my goals. I was reminded of the theory I knew but ignored. Goals need to be measurable. For 2018 I’m changing the way I set my goals, but that’s a post for tomorrow.
How did the reading and reviewing go?
Great. I read lots of books although I didn’t count them. I reviewed 103 Australian children’s books and one non-Australian in the Sunday Telegraph. I’m happy with that flag-waving. Australian kidlit is worth shouting about.
My favourite adult book of 2017 was The Choke by Sofie Laguna. I blogged about that as part of the 2017 Book Discovery series on Sophie Masson’s Feathers of the Firebird writing blog.
My favourite YA Book was Words in Deep Blue by Cath Crowley. Words fail me. I dont think I could review this one if I tried.
I had two favourite middle-grade books. As a MG author I feel entitled to two! One was Lisa Nichol’s Dr Boogaloo and the Girl Who Lost Her Laughter.
The other was Mr Bambuckles Remarkables by Tim Harris.
I’m a picture book author too, and picture books are special so I can have three 2017 favourites for those. I Want to Be in a Book by Narelle Oliver. It was inspirational (and sad) to visit the Narelle Oliver Art Exhibition when it was in Ipswich.
The Scared Book by Debra Tidball. This book is such interactive, reading fun.
I Just Ate My Friend by Heidi McKinnon. So clever and I loved the illustrations.
There were so many more books I loved and in 2018 I hope to reblog some Funday reviews for my favourites
Highlights Out and About
There were lots of those. A return visit to the Ipswich District Teacher Librarian Network Story Arts Festival (the first festival I ever attended), a packed Author platform session at Writers Unleashed. numerous successful Minecraft workshops and fun school visits. Libraries, especially school libraries, are my favourite places and I spent lots of time in them.
Writing
I finished Blue Boy, Red Day but there’s a lot more work to be done, but I’ve got some excellent editorial notes to work on. First, I’m finishing my current WIP, Algernon and the Outside Girl, as there’s currently serious momentum there. And the big news is I was finally happy enough to submit a picture book ms I’ve been reworking for some time. Ben Bagley has found the perfect home, but will be getting a new name.
Family Stuff
My eldest son and his partner Overwatched their way across France, Germany, the Netherlands, the US and Taiwan. My youngest, in the last few months of the year, experienced the first real improvement in seven years of chronic illness. The Love of My life settled into retirement and a role at Orange Sky Laundry.
Ever Onward
Looking forward for me, there’s family to fuss over, more writing and reading to do, the job I love at the South Coast Writer’s Centre, distance education tutoring for Year 11, and just maybe, art classes.
