Happy New Year to all my blog readers! Hope you all had a great night out and I wish you all the best for 2016!

For several years now I’ve put my New Year resolutions on a blog. Makes it easy to review them periodically and see how well I’m doing. Also, making them public means people are more likely to ask how I’m getting on with them, and that provides some wonderful encouragement.

First, here’s a review of last year’s resolutions:

• Complete the editing of The Pearl Locket – Done, and it was published in February
• Write synopses and plans for three further novels and see if I can get another book deal – Done, and I got another 2-book deal from Carina!
• Produce paperback versions of Mr Cavell’s Diamond and Give Up Ironing – Not done. If ever my Carina books come out in print I’ll do a paperback version of Mr Cavell’s Diamond.
• Write another complete novel – Done, and submitted just before Christmas, to be published in April.
• Do the pier to pier swim again. Not sure about a half marathon – knees are getting dodgy. But definitely need to increase fitness and lose a few kilos. Let’s say 4kg. – Hmm, is all I’ll say to this one.

2015 was not an easy year. My mum died in June, so the first half of the year was all about hospital visiting, and the second half was all about dismantling her life – obtaining probate, clearing her flat etc. It was a struggle to keep going with all my targets for the year during all this, but I managed most of them.

So what am I planning to achieve in 2016? Actually for once I don’t have as many definite goals. It’s more a case of keep on keeping on. I want to maintain fitness and try to keep weight off. I want to keep writing the dual timeline novels I love writing, and which people seem to like reading. I will definitely write another complete novel in the year, and as that will be the second contract completed I’ll then need to work on getting another one.