New Year writing resolutions

2020 has been a strange, scary, crazy year. And much as I hope that 2021 will be better, the truth is we cannot be sure it will. The pandemic raging across the world will not be magically resolved because 2020 has come to an end. 2021 begins under the auspices of uncertainty. Still, life must go on... I had a look at the post I made one year ago. Where I was hoping that 2020 would be an even better year than 2019. Ha ha ha. I look back and wonder at my naïve hopefulness. Have I managed to keep the resolutions I had taken then? 

The first was to finish, illustrate and publish Mr. Summerhaye’s Horse. All done, so that’s good. 

The second was to edit The Orchid Collector (done) and find an agent (still searching…). 

The third was to finish editing the sequel of As Winter Came and Went (not done). 

The fourth was to learn about marketing and sell more copies of As Winter Came and Went (not done). 

The fifth was to write short stories (not done). 

The sixth was to unearth one of my unfinished manuscripts and work on it (not done). 

The seventh was to read more fiction and post reviews on the blog (sort of done). 

I have not kept most of those resolutions (which makes me wonder why I’m even bothering making some). The one thing I am pleased with is having published Mr. Summerhaye’s Horse. For some reason, I have a special fondness for that novella. I will even venture to say that, so far, it’s my personal favourite among the books I have written. Maybe because I had wanted to write a story with a horse as the central character ever since I was a child. 

In spite of the likelihood that I won’t be keeping most of them (though I hope that somehow I will), here are my New Year writing resolutions for 2021: 

One: to find (at last) an agent to represent The Orchid Collector. Failing that, I might take the route of self-publication (again…). 

Two: finish edition the sequel of As Winter Came and Went.  

Three: be more active on this blog, with reviews and maybe some short fiction. 

Four: unearth one of my unfinished manuscripts (I know, I know, I’m repeating myself). 

Five: write more regularly. 

Six: sell more books. 

Seven: allow myself to not make plans, to write stories as they come, to find pleasure in writing. 

Will I keep more resolutions than I did last year? None of us knows what this year will bring. All we have is hope. And maybe, given the situation, that’s enough.

Announcement

Where in the world are you as you read this? I am writing from locked-down France. Life seems to have come to a standstill. The shops and schools are shut. And we are not allowed to go out, except for a very, very few reasons. Many countries are in the same situation or will be. It is all part of the fight against Covid-19.

Anyway... I'm writing this post because I've decided to follow the example of many writers who have decided to make their books available for free so people have something to do while they're in isolation. I think it's a wonderful idea (and wish I'd had it on my own!). As a result, the Kindle version of As Winter Came and Went will be available for free for a few days. It's a loooonnng novel, so it should keep you occupied for some time. 

You can find it there: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07K618J3M?ref_=pe_3052080_276849420

Stay safe! 

It's published!

The Would-be Novelist is now live on Amazon! To buy it, you can follow this link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1702470016?ref_=pe_3052080_397514860

Announcement

That's right, The Would-be Novelist, that compilation of about 50 of the cartoons I posted on this blog, will be published in exactly one month!
All the cartoons I will be using have already been scanned. The script is currently being edited and proofread. I will start the formatting next week. And next week I will also do a cover reveal. I'm very excited about it all!

Announcement

I have some exciting news! *drum-roll* I have finally decided that I would turn my cartoons into a book, or rather, into a series of small books, focussing on the different aspects of a (would-be) writer's life. I know that I've been hinting at this project for some time, but now it is official.

 

I do not have a release date yet, as I have to write/edit/proofread the text that will go with the images, make some new cartoons (that will only be published in the books, not on the blog), format the whole thing, make some nice covers... But I'll try to publish the first book before the end of the year! I'll make another announcement as soon as I've settled on a date.