One moment you are making lists of all the things that you want to achieve by the end of the year, and the next thing you know you are dissecting the Hobbit and setting off party poppers to welcome the New Year.

Looking back over 2013 it was a pretty good year, but I have to admit I didn’t achieve all the things I had hoped. Of course, that just gives me some more goals for this year!

Some of the highlights:

• Getting to heap of conventions and catching up with old friends – and making lots of new ones. I made it to Conflux, Continuum and LoneStarCon so I definitely got around!
• Getting to play with the awesome folk at Crazy8 Press in their Redeus world
• Continuing my involvement with the Tales of the Shadowmen series, including the privilege of being in the 10th Anniversary volume.
• Being in the inaugural release from Satalyte Publishing and selling my first novelette, which has gotten some great feedback.
• Winning my first award (ever, not just for writing!)
• Seeing the New Who Conversations get nominated for another Atheling, and winning a Chronos award (thanks Tehani and Tansy!!!!)
• Being on the committee for an amazingly successful convention (though I can take very little credit for that success – we had a greta group of people who worked very hard on it, and wonderful guests)

Some of the disappointments:

• Still haven’t cracked that pro sale
• Not catching up with New Who in time for the 50th anniversary special
• Not submitting to all the markets I had planned to through procrastination

So, what does 2014 hold, other than plugging away with the short fiction?

• Another tie -in anthology which I can’t announce yet
• A  sci fi novel which already has a few nibbles of interest
• Revising my completed first draft of another novel (fantasy) with a view towards shopping it around
• A YA novel in collobaration with a US author
• Another conversational review series
• Loncon and hopefully another con in the States!

I’ve come to realisation that the only thing holding me back is me, and that I need to develop a better work ethic and stop procrastinating. While I am setting myself some high expectations, there is no reason why 2014 can’t be an even better year than 2013.

Thanks to everyone who has supported me over the last 12 months and I look forward to celebrating all your successes over the next year. May 2014 be a wonderful year for you all! 🙂

The Trophy