Looking forward

Here in Australia, we’re eight hours into 2011, and I’m looking forward to it being a good year 🙂

2010 certainly had some highlights and some challenges, but it’s over now, and with the surgery behind me I’m excited about being able to resume more normal life in the coming year, and achieve some more goals and wishes.

The highlights of the past year include:

• many wonderful reviews and reader comments about my books;
• two short stories published in the Australian Woman’s Day magazines (in January and October);
• The Australian Romance Readers’ Association Awards dinner, where Dark Country was named best Romantic Suspense of 2009;
• the excitement of Dark Country being named a finalist in the Romance Writers of America’s RITA awards, and in the Romance Writers of Australia R*BY Awards;
• the friendliness, support and enthusiasm of the reading and writing community – whether in blogs, conferences, email loops, or whatever, I’m privileged to have ‘met’ and to interact with many, many wonderful people.

What’s ahead in 2011?

• finishing the current book, which has a working title of Dead Heat;
• recovering from the recent surgery, and gradually getting my fitness back and my weight down some kilos;
• teaching at the University of New England in first semester – I’ll be coordinating, revising and teaching a one-semester unit on Digital Media and Interactive Entertainment;
• a trip away with Gordon – we may have to wait a couple of months due to my teaching commitments, but we are going to have some time travelling together, perhaps going into outback Queensland again;
• making some progress on my neglected PhD research;
• all going well, a new book out, later in the year!

I’ve also got some work-life balance goals in mind for the year; amongst other things, I’d like to make progress with the stalled landscaping and garden building around the house – as my health and fitness returns, I’ll be able to do more outside than I have for the past couple of years! By Spring I’d like to be able to cut some flowers and bring them inside, as I love simple garden flowers in vases. I’m also in the process of reorganising our sunroom into a more workable office/craft space for me. I’ve sold the smaller of my two floor looms and a rocking chair we don’t use, and have decluttered by getting rid of excess stuff I won’t use and sorting through a filing cabinet, so soon there’ll be space for a writing desk, and also space to move around and use my big floor loom which has stood idle for a couple of years. This year, it’s going to get a workout! I’ve been browsing through weaving patterns the past few days and I’ll go stash-diving soon to find suitable yarns for a set of blue and white overshot placemats. I’m not sure when I’ll get the warp actually wound and on the loom, but maybe before the end of the week.

As far as my recovery goes, I’m doing quite well, although still taking things slowly and having frequent rests and naps. My leg is still painful and a little swollen, and when I saw my GP yesterday she put me on antibiotics to ward off infection, so hopefully that will heal up soon and make moving about easier. I have done a (very) short walk with the dogs, and we’ve played a few games outside, so we’re on the road back to ‘normal’. I’m hoping to make an appointment to see my hairdresser next week sometime, so that my weird half-shaved hairstyle can be shaped into something less weird, and I’m sure that will be an additional good step on the recovery road – however, fortunately I have plenty of lovely scarves, so it’s no hardship to select a scarf to cover the funny fuzz on top of my head when I go out and about!

Best wishes to all of my friends and blog readers for a wonderful, joy-filled 2011.