The end of the year is nigh.
Yes, folks, this is another one of those obligatory end-of-year round-up posts. I’ll keep it as brief as I can. I made a conscious effort this year to try to squeeze the pips out of the time and so I’m pretty pleased with what I managed to do:
- Finished The Scarred God and sent it off to agents.
- Started my Newsletter – December’s issue is here: https://mailchi.mp/4653a5bfa1e2/neils-december-newsletter.
- Ran several races culminating in the Cardiff Half and raised some coin for SANDS.
- Created an eBook (After The Rain) of my earlier published work and made it available to subscribers of my newsletter.
- Recorded and posted the audio version of Dragon Star. Listen here: https://www.neilbeynon.com/fiction/dragonstar/.
- Published a reprint of my short story, Stone, on eBook. Amazon UK; Amazon US; Kobo. Stone previously appeared in print, and illustrated, in Murky Depths.
- Begun a joint project with my wife, the artist Gemma Beynon, adapting one of my short stories to comic format. This will be out in all formats in 2019 (hopefully).
- Wrote the first draft of a new novel, The Tower.
- Planned and have started writing a novella in a new genre.
*It will also be live on all major platforms from January if you don’t want to be on the list but do want to read the stories.
Somewhere in there, I also managed to read some fantastic books and here are some of the highlights:
The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton.
Embers of War by Gareth L Powell (disclaimer: I know Gareth).
In the Vanisher’s Palace by Aliette de Bodard (disclaimer: I know Aliette).
The Ninth Rain by Jen Williams (disclaimer: I know Jen).
Back to Reality by Mark Stay and Mark Owens (also known as Mark Desvaux).
The Hunter by Andrew Reid (disclaimer: I know Andy).
How to Stop Time by Matt Haig.
I’m fortunate to know some very talented writers. I’ve also been relieved to find ways of being able to read, run and write that fit around the other significant parts of my life after a few years where this was a real challenge. Finding The Bestseller Experiment, and figuring out a way my other experiences could help make Indie publishing part of my approach has made me happier – it would seem remiss to not note I have written more in the last 12 months than I have done in the last four years.
Wishing you all a Happy New Year. Be kind to yourselves and each other.
See you on the flip side.
Neil
Photo credit on featured image: Markus Trienke.