New Year’s Day.

I’m feeling pretty rough.

It’s hardly the best day to have to travel back to London on a crowded train, but I don’t have much choice – I’m back at work tomorrow.

So. I better start the new year properly.

A few days ago I reviewed my accomplishments for 2012… and now it’s time to think about the future.

What do I want to accomplish in 2013?

It’s easier to start with what I DON’T want to accomplish.

I’m NOT going to set any reading goals, because reading distracts from my writing. (Besides, that time I read 120 books in a year? I had no social life.)

I’m NOT going to set any blogging targets, even though I would like to update this blog more regularly. Every year I resolve to update more often, and every year I fail. Clearly this tactic isn’t working.

So what AM I going to do?

Resolutions For 2013

1. Write one book to completion.
   If I tell myself to finish a particular book, I won’t. My brain is silly like that. So I’m keeping the goal general enough to make sure I at least write something.

2. Participate in a short story anthology.
   Last year I appeared in Best of Fridayflash: Volume 2. The year before in Tales for Canterbury. And the year before THAT I was in 12 Days 2010. I’d like to keep up this tradition, so if you’re organising an anthology get in touch!

3. Find balance.
   Last year I fell off the tweeting/blogging wagon, my writing output was fairly consistent but too slow. Rather than set impossible individual targets, I want to organise myself to make time for writing, online stuff, my day job and a social life.

Yes, that’s it.

Ultimately all I want to achieve in 2013 is to fairly accomodate everything, without feeling like I’ve let something slip. I’m a Libran, after all. We like balance.

What about you? What are your resolutions?

This time last year I was making smug comments about gym attendance in January.

I re-read the post with a tiny smile, then realised that – gasp! – I’d made resolutions of my own:

1. Get Above Ground done and dusted. Finish serialising it, get it out in print and ebook form, and close the chapter on that novel.

2. Plot/plan the next book. I haven’t decided which, yet — I may run a little poll and get you guys to vote on which I should work on.

Success rate = 75%

#1, obviously, is done.

But rather than fully plan the next book, I’ve half-planned the next four. Maybe I should have run that poll after all.

Too bad I forgot I’d even made any resolutions.

What else did I accomplish in 2012?

The reason I only set two goals was because I generally end up involved in all sorts of crazy unplanned things, such as:

• MERGE.
  I adored co-writing this series of stories and wouldn’t mind dipping back into that universe.

• The LAST book of The Antithesis series.
  Terra was one of the first authors I brought on board for 1889 Labs, and it’s been really rewarding to edit her kick-ass series. The fifth and last book came out in August.

• The FIRST book of The Legion of Nothing series.
  I was thrilled when Jim Zoetewey accepted to publish LON with 1889. We’re already working together on the second book in the series.

• Editing other cool 1889 books.
  Like Gangster by Melissa Jones and Ventricle, Atrium by Gabriel Gadfly. I feel an almost auntlike pride over 1889 books.

• A month-long blog tour!
  Writing that many guest posts and interview answers has got to count for something.

• Redesigning this website.
  Okay, okay, I’m clutching at straws now….

As of October, I also started a new job, which I’m pretty chuffed about.

But of course in a few days it will be a new year, and time to accomplish new things. I’ll post some goals in a few days.

In the meantime: what have you accomplished this year?

Warm wishes to everyone for happiness and inspiration and lots and lots of chocolate!

I know it’s an advert, but I love this Christmas video:
(not suitable for vegetarians)

Did you receive a Kindle?

If you were lucky to get a Kindle for Christmas this year — or if you already have a Kindle, and got an Amazon gift voucher — you should stock up on reading some great indie titles!

Anyone who contacts me by December 31st can request a free copy of any of my books. Just let me know which you’d prefer. :-)

Fancy something else?

I’ve also got an Amazon gift voucher to spend, so why don’t we compile a Christmas reading list? One suggestion per person, and it can’t be your own book.

Christmas Reading List

Here’s my suggestion to start off the list:

The Eighteen Revenges of Doctor Milan by Christopher Ruz

Despite it’s awkwardly long name, this is an awesome psychedelic scifi novella infused with philosophy. I proofed the ebook for Ruz several days ago and read through it in mere hours; the setting is reminiscent of Chronicles of Riddick but it’s so much more than that.

If you’re looking for some well-written, contemporary scifi that will have you hooked, this is it.

What else should be on our Christmas reading lists?

Drop your reading suggestions in the comments.

If you’re reading this, then the Mayan apocalypse doomsday hype was exactly that – a hype.

(On the other hand, if the world has truly ended, then no one will be able to read this and prove me wrong. Hurray!)

The plus side of the gloomy end-of-world predictions is that I’ve learnt a bit about solar flares, Nibiru, Mayans, and supermassive black holes.

The downside – other than the film 2012 – is, of course, that some cunning people have made manure-loads of money off of the naive.

And so life goes on…

SO WTF WAS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN?

According to my limited research Wikipedia, this fashion-conscious chap – aka the god Bolon Yokye’ K’uh, associated with the underworld – was supposed to do something today.

Some believed he was going to descend onto Earth and smite us all, others thought he’d hurl planetary rocks at us, others still thought he’d shake his booty until the ground ripped itself apart. Judging by his open mouth, maybe he’s just hungry and wants to have an Earth-sized snack.

But why the doomsday predictions?

He could easily be having his first ever Big Bang Theory party. He’s an ancient god, after all. They’re a bit slow at catching onto TV series.

THE END? WRONG!

The end of something is not the end of everything.

What everyone focussed on was poor Bolon Yokye’ K’uh’s connections to the underworld and destruction. A little closer reading on Wikipedia shows that old Bolon was also present at creation events.

After all, the end of one cycle is the beginning of another.

If anything, we should take today as a day of change. A day to set aside old things and begin anew. And, since the new year fast approaches, perhaps it is also a day to reflect on any changes within ourselves that we would like to accomplish.

Today marks the end of Bolon Yokye’ K’uh’s permanent #LOFNOTC membership, and the beginning of a weekly Big Bank Theory lovefest.

Eat that, doomsday lovers.