2010 was the year I...

2010 was the year I...

• Realised that my family is more important than my writing
• Decided what kind of novels I want to write
• Made a firm resolution NEVER to buy cheap lead-laden junk from a $2-shop EVER again

I do believe in Santa, I do, I do, I do believe in Santa, how about you?

Dear Santa, this Christmas I would like:

• joy
• laughter
• soft voices
• magic and wonder.

Dear Santa, all year long:

• more time for writing would be good
• more patience with the children
• more tenderness and understanding
• financial peace.

Stranger Than Fiction

2010 was a strange year. If - ten years ago - I'd written a futuristic novel set in 2010, what editor would swallow that in 2010:

• the heroine's royalties from writing e-books exceed tenfold her royalties from print books;
• an octopus in Germany correctly predicted almost every game in the FIFA World Cup;
• Russia and an unknown country starting with a Q (who can even name a country that starts with a Q?) beat USA and UK in the bid to host the World Cup in 2018 and 2022;
• 33 trapped miners in Chile were rescued from under 700m below ground after months of careful preparations - the miracle was watched on TV around the world;
• but when 29 trapped miners in a coal mine in New Zealand a few months later, no rescue attempt had been made?

Stranger than fiction? Post your "incredible 2010 stories" here.

When "The Nile" Is Not A River

The Nile is New Zealand's coolest online bookstore. I love it because they sell my books... and the good news for you is that you can get them cheaper there than directly from me. How is that for crazy?

It's December already...

... where did the first 11 months of 2010 go?

I can guess where. A large portion was spent on making school lunches, being mom-taxi, supervising homework, playing the same old boring Snakes&Ladders, watching school sports, making beds, tidying up toys, hanging tiny t-shirts out to dry in the sun. Those hours, I don't regret, even if they blend in my mind into a stream of mind-numbing beige-ness.

Another large portion was sold to various people who kindly paid for my written words about topics I wasn't necessarily all that interested in. Those hours, I consider a necessary distraction.

A small portion was squandered on watching The Big Bang theory, Eureka, LOST and 5 seasons of "How I met your mother". Fun and relaxing, but ultimately a waste of the precious time we have here on earth. This message struck home after the Pike River Mine disaster.

Lessons learnt? Enjoy family time more, enjoy TV less. Write more books and fewer blogs. Send fewer emails and see more friends.

Now, for the implementation....