This post is based on an email I sent to the CSFG group. It has been amended.
We came back from the UK end of February 2024 and I hit the ground running. In March I attended two signing events one in Sydney and one in Melbourne, organised by the Australian Romance Readers. I’ll be appearing again in 2025 in Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne next year.
I joined the CSFG novel crit group and got to work on revising The Founders’ Legacy for submission. The crit group requires members to read a novel a month for critique so it was a pretty hectic year on the reading front. The only time I read just for pleasure was when my book was up for crit.
Sihem (Now a The Founders’ Legacy) was my phd novel. I kept thinking that was going to take months to revise, but I knew it was a couple of weeks focussed work and I was right. As I had put this novel on submission I haven’t revised it yet. Not only do I have the crit to apply as I choose, I have some thoughts in my head.
I also revised Grandma Needs: Through the Pantry Door, my children’s fantasy. I drafted this last year. I have continued to put this out on submission. However, it’s a competitive market out there so we will have to see.
I submitted two short stories during the year and they were rejected too. However, I got the idea to do a collection of Robot stories, which led to Robot Hearts, science fiction collection. This included six previously unpublished stories. A few were older, and I wrote three new ones from scratch. That collection was published in September. I had a lot of fun with this.
I also wrote Destiny’s Blood, Book Three in the Cursed Ones series under my Dani Kristoff name. That was published earlier this month.
I’m about 37,000 words in book three of the Cry Havoc series, my steampunk series, featuring Manners, magic and mayhem. I had hoped to have had that published this year but it looks like next year. However, I am still drafting this so who knows, I may get the first draft done by the end of the year who knows?
I also started another book /novella called Louisa’s Choice, but that’s about 10,000 words in and has been for a while. It is kinda a reverse harem/why choose book possibly series.
I still have a revision on a Regency romance to do as I have two lots of beta reader feedback and a number of other things on the go, like a YA/Cross over fantasy that is drafted but needs restructuring and the next book written.
I don’t think I’m anywhere near as productive as I wished to be, but I’ve made a start. There are days when I can’t even sit at my desk. No idea why. I reduced my day job to two days and still I am not as productive and as enthusiastic as I want to be.
I also did a few events. Gamacon in Canberra and Fiction and Friction in Adelaide. I’m set for a few more in 2025. I’ve also attended a few writing related things like romance reader lunches, romance writer get togethers and an occasional CSFG thing. I went to Romance Writers of Australia conference in Adelaide and the World SF convention in Glasgow.
I spent of time on the back office stuff too, website/blog etc. I set up a pay hip store for my books. Many thanks to Keri Arthur for help there.
I read through Ruby Heart and Emerald Fire to correct typos and created hard backs and large print hard backs. I also published a hardback version of Vorn and the First Comers, which is a prequel novella to another series. I have more to do on this front. I also bought a microphone and have been practising reading for audio book purposes. I’m not entirely there yet. Although I didn’t meet my own expectations, I think I can safely say I’ve had a writerly year. I watch way too much streamed shows and don’t read enough either.
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Life is hotting up for the end of year. I am expecting family to visit from Singapore. My two eldest granddaughters are turning 18 in January and both graduated from high school this year. My eldest daughter is moving to Sydney with my youngest granddaughter. My other daughter announced she eloped in August. My grandson is back from overseas and doing well.
Life is constantly changing around us.
On a more personal front I have had a bit of a crisis. I have a craft room and I haven’t been in the craft room for a long time. It’s chaos in there and I’m at the stage where I feel the need to cull, that maybe I have to get rid of some things so I can focus on a few things. I have legacy silk flower makings, millinery projects and supplies, a floor loom, dressmaking stuff, yarn, quilting supplies, embroidery kits and the rest. I’m a regular craft junkie. I feel that way about the house too, but mostly the garage and all the crap that is in there. I’ve been warning Matthew that he might have to supervise as I will throw his stuff out. Rolls eyes. Maybe this is a good thing and not a sign of some impending life crisis. I’ve put on weight. My eldest said I have ballooned. It’s a battle to keep fit, exercise, do all the craft, writing and stuff and work. I feel that I’m going to go mental just trying to do everything. So maybe 2025 is about new beginnings, giving myself a break and throwing crap out. I want order, not chaos. However, order requires consistency and work and that’s the hard part.
Speaking of hobbies. Yesterday I did a cooking course. We made ricotta gnocchi and biscotti. I made cranberry and almond biscotti. I really can’t help myself can I?
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Donna Maree Hanson, Author, Phd in Creative Writing 