Happy New Year

2016 looks like going down in history as a terrible year but I’d like to reflect on some personal positives. The year has been made magical by our newest family member, grandson Oliver, who was born in November 2015. I’ve been lucky enough to spend lots of time with this little bundle of joy this year and I’ve enjoyed every minute.

On the writing front I’ve seen my first short stories published in DC Thomson magazines “The People’s Friend” and “The Weekly News”. I’ve also had a “My Weekly Pocket Novel” published and another bought for publication in 2017. The second of these was written during November’s “NaNoWriMo” – the first time I’ve participated.

I attended Crimefest in Bristol (prize for winning Flashbang contest 2015) where I met my hero, Peter James, for the first time and I spent a day at Harrogate during the Theakstons festival. It was lovely to see, however briefly, lots of bookish friends.

Finally, though it might sound like a negative, a health scare in September was caught early enough to be easily treated.

Happy New Year.