From the monthly archives:

December 2009

Reflections

December 31, 2009 Life

It’s a tradition of mine, so I set aside some time this morning to think back over the past year.
What always astounds me is how many things happened that, on first acquaintance, seemed to be problems but turned out to be gifts in the end. This year has seen quite a few of these gifts, [...]

15 comments Read post

Merry Christmas!

December 24, 2009 Life

Merry Christmas, everyone!
Christmas for me is one of the most beautiful times of the year. I wish you all the very best for this holiday season: lots of fun, merry-making and love!
Pin it

18 comments Read post

Enter: Marcus

December 17, 2009 Blogging and Blog Events

Thank you so much to everyone who commented on my 20 minute writing commitment post. I felt so inspired after reading all of your comments – and suddenly, it really did feel very much like “it’s only 20 minutes”.
So I took roughly 20 minutes today to work on Waverley; I am now 1200 more words [...]

10 comments Read post

The 20-Minute Writing Commitment

December 16, 2009 Writing

Earlier this year, I did something that, for me, was extraordinary.
I finished the first draft of my first novel.
I’d like to say something elegant like, “this novel was 20 years in the making”, but it wasn’t. It was more like “it took me 20 years to get myself seated in that chair, in front of [...]

26 comments Read post

My New Disclosure Policy

December 15, 2009 Blogging and Blog Events

Update:  A few people in the comments section and on Twitter have pointed out to me that I neglected to add information about where exactly my husband and children did come from. I’ve remedied this oversight on my part.
So, yesterday, I was procrastinating (what else is new?), and came across this post at Problogger. I [...]

25 comments Read post

A Parisian Holiday: French Milk, by Lucy Knisley

December 14, 2009 Books and Reading

I moved on from reading Eye of the Crow to something completely different: French Milk, by Lucy Knisley is a memoir, written in graphic novel format, of a month-long holiday the author took with her mother in Paris, France.
I came across this novel when I was reading around the blogosphere (when I do this kind [...]

19 comments Read post

[TSS] International Book Giveaways – Dec 13

December 13, 2009 Books and Reading

This week’s post includes giveaways I discovered up until Friday – I had to compile this before Saturday because of our tapas party yesterday (which went really well – I had such fun!). So next week’s list should include all the giveaways that were posted on Saturday (hopefully).
This international book giveaways round-up post is a [...]

8 comments Read post

Saturday Ramblings And Some Links

December 12, 2009 Life

It’s Tapas Night here tonight – which means I am, once again, cleaning house to get ready for the people who will be dropping by. Have you noticed I seem to do this fairly frequently?
My question is, why doesn’t the house stay clean in between get-togethers?
Anyway, I’m sitting here and procrastinating, like normal. Writing a [...]

14 comments Read post

The Boy Sherlock Holmes: Eye of the Crow, by Shane Peacock

December 11, 2009 Books and Reading

Despite appearances, I’ve actually had some time to read lately. Maybe “had some time to read” isn’t totally accurate – it’s been more like “squeezed some time to read” but regardless, it’s the end result that counts, right?
And I’ve been lucky, because everything I’ve picked up to read recently has turned out to be a [...]

20 comments Read post

Twitter and Facebook: What’s Your Strategy?

December 10, 2009 Twitter Files

The other day I was emailing a friend of mine about Twitter – he’s new to Twitter and hasn’t been liking it as much as Facebook. I was sending him some ideas I had about how to get more comfortable with Twitter, and I said something about “going broad” with Twitter, as compared to Facebook.
This [...]

34 comments Read post