Thank you for a wonderful 2016!

On a personal front 2016 was a pretty solid year for me, and built on a fantastic 2015. It was the second year in a row where my health stayed consistent. Two years with no major colitis flares is a win-win for me, and I have to count those blessings while I can. We added to the family with a noisy cockatiel that was looking for a home. Cuckoo loves to sit on my shoulder while I write, though he has an aggressive stance toward hands (and earrings, yikes!).

I travelled—a new year's break in January in Bali, and a very rushed trip to San Diego for the annual RWA Conference–and on a personal front I played netball and coached my juniors to a semi final. I also took up two group fitness classes a week and regularly submit myself to my ruthless PT's sense of a challenge. Fitness is a must for me, and helps me keep my body in peak writing condition, and also seems to keep my auto-immune issues under control (that could be more of a mental thing for me though).

It was also a pretty big year in terms of writing. I had five new releases, with the sixth book ready to go (The Last True Hero is out on January 24th), and the launch of three new series' (The Dark Arts, The Burned Lands and The Blue Blood Conspiracy, my spin-off to London Steampunk).

I wrote nearly 600,000 words, and won RT Reviews Best Steampunk Romance for 2015's Of Silk And Steam.

And I spent probably far too much time on the computer.

For me in 2017, I have grand plans. More writing, more books, and trying to share as many of my action-packed fantasy romances with as many readers as I can. I'm looking forward to plunging back into the London Steampunk world with The Mech Who Loved Me (next release), and wrapping up the Burned Lands and Dark Arts trilogies. I also have a couple of secret projects on the go, so hopefully I'll have more news to share there shortly.

This year's plan includes finding more of a balance in my life. More long walks with the dog in the morning, more books read for personal enjoyment, and more baking delicious things. Trying to spend a little less time on the computer, so that pesky writer's elbow goes away.

Wishing you all the best and hoping 2017 is awesome for everyone out there, regardless of what challenges we're all facing! Let's go kick some goals…

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