2012 was a rough year for a lot of people, me included. It also went by very fast. For those reasons I don’t make New Year’s resolutions anymore. I’d rather just set goals throughout the year. Waiting for a new year to bring about change just takes too long and I try not to wait for things to happen. I’d rather go out and cause change. Easier said than done, I know. But life can be pretty unpredictable and short and you don’t want to leave too much in Fate’s hands.

2012 was also the year in which I followed a dormant dream. I started to write again, and like going to the gym for the first time or after a long spell of inactivity, my writing muscles soon started to ache from the exertion, but it was a good ache. I’ve always liked that type of ache, that deep tissue muscly pain you get from pushing yourself in the gym. That’s what writing felt like for me in 2012. It was painful, but at the same time, revitalising. It renewed my sense of purpose and sparked a lot of ideas in the process.

Many things happened during 2012 that threatened to derail my writing plans, but I held on. And it paid off. On the last day of 2012 I published my novella, “The Seals of Abgal”. Originally titled, “The Book“, the plan was for it to go live in August 2012, but things kept interfering and I didn’t resist enough, so the deadline got pushed back repeatedly. But it’s here now and my sense of relief is massive.

I am so proud of this story and I hope people will enjoy it as much as I loved writing it.  I would like to take this opportunity to thank Fena Lee  for her patience with me. It’s because of her that the cover looks as amazing as it does. I also want to thank Diana Cox for “spit-shining” my manuscript. If not for her, “The Seals of Abgal” would read like dried toast.

So, for me, 2013 opened with a bang and a promise. It will be a very busy year. I’m planning two more novellas and a full length novel, featuring Sebastian Kaine, the protagonist from “The Seals of Abgal”. I also want to resume work on “The Spirit Bow” and complete it this year. The amount of research I’ve already done is staggering, but I promise you, it’s going to be epic.

On that high note, I wish you all a Happy New year! May you be blessed with prosperity and good health in 2013.