What have I done this year?

It's that time again, the breath before the final leap into the new year. It's that chance to take a moment to look back before we shut the door on the old year, to check over our intentions for then and our wishes for the future.

Back in January, I talked about what I had accomplished in 2013 and how I wanted to approach 2014. I think I managed to maintain that wish to see my life, good and bad, with new, refreshed eyes.

Later that month, and again in February, I set myself a reading list. I got around halfway through that list, reading some wonderful novels and poetry. The rest are for next year's reading list.

Towards the end of February, I began a new series of blog posts - Something Useful for 2014 - that provided my readers with monthly writing exercises. That's something I'll be continuing in 2015, along with my monthly photo inspiration posts.

In the first half of the year, I took customer commissions for three separate murder mystery plays which I managed to write in record time. All three productions, Dead Fit, The Pecking Order and Festive Reapings went ahead successfully in 2014.

In April, my article on deadlines was featured on the Work from Home Wisdom website whom I also wrote for in 2013.

In May, I took on the 100 Happy Days challenge, taking a photo of something that made me happy for one hundred days. You can see my photographs on my Tumblr blog, What I See, What I Hear, What I Am.

In June, I reviewed Suzanna William's YA sci fi novel, Ninety-Five Percent Human, and in September, I reviewed A is for Angelica by Iain Broome. Then in November, I reviewed and announced the release of the YA paranormal novel Dark is the Sea by Heather Blanchard.

In November, I took part in NaNoWriMo and while I didn't accomplish the 50,000 word target, I did make it halfway through the first draft of my second novel in the Haven series. I'll take that up again in January.

Throughout the year, I rewrote my novel for the 12+ age group and gave it a new title. The final draft of Haven: Shadowbinder was submitted to the Writers Workshop for a manuscript assessment in December.

So that's it for this blog and my writing for 2014. On a personal note, I lost more weight (down to a small size 14) and maintained my healthy eating plan. It's been a good year, despite several health scares and niggles, and 2015 looks to be even better.

The new year is peering round the corner. Here's to a good one that is kind to us all.