December – Roundup of My Year

2021 has been a busy year for me, one in which I completed my thesis and gained a first-class degree, spent more time in my local park than ever, did minimal tree work despite a good summer, and volunteered a fair amount of time. Instead of book launches and art gallery openings, I attended public online lectures on AI and cybernetics, or local history; I participated in SF cons online.

Goodreads says I read 202 books this year.

I’m writing a third in the Irish Lockdown series. These stories about young people combine journalism, YA adventure and animal welfare. My local newspaper Dublin People has featured the first book, A Pony For Quarantine. I was thrilled to reach number six in the Amazon UK charts for children’s books dealing with disability, with this one, which includes a look at a family member on the autism spectrum. And the feeling that my books, whether paperback or Kindle, are part of many families’ Christmases, is just wonderful.

During the year I was delighted to achieve a first place in the National Student Media Awards or SMedias. I edited the Journalism Society blog for my college DBS and won Blog / Vlog of The Year. This was required to be edited by a full time student, who was not a paid journalist, to qualify. Not only was this great for me, all the contributors including the Publicity Officer Loreto Magaña are included in the praise.

Separately my Students Union and college community, voted me Volunteer Of The Year. And for her regular and charming appearances on Zoom sessions, my cat won Zoom Pet of The Year Award.

I founded and edited a blog for the Sustainability Society, reporting on our activities and on the Green Campus work of the college. DBS was runner up in the National Education Awards for Green Campus category.
I learned so much, and put in so much time, and I am still studying thanks to a innovative move called Creative Futures Academy, courtesy of IADT.

I had a wonderful couple of days with family, during high summer. Our activities ranged from completing an assault course to climbing on round bales of hay. During autumn, my husband and I visited Wexford for a break. I took photos pretty much non-stop all year.


In my spare time I have been helping out on Goodreads. I took on the Moderator post of Horse Lovers Central Group, and revitalised the group, whose membership has seen a steady increase. I also co-Mod the Green Group, providing news stories, books and science reports. And I add books to the site, particularly old ones, or help the Librarians by pointing out fragmented or double versions of quotes and so on, which they can tidy. Goodreads is a fantastic resource and by far my favourite place on the internet.

I had booked my place to attend COP 26 last year, but it was postponed, and this year when it occurred, I could not travel. We know climate change is the biggest challenge of our time, along with the biodiversity loss that accompanies human caused deforestation and intensive agriculture or industry. I’m doing my bit to help nature, and I hope my readers are too. There’s a saying that the best time to plant a tree is twenty years ago, and the second best time to plant one is today. Let’s get to work.

For the turn of the year I am making a hopeful book free, Dining Out Around the Solar System Part One. Grab it January 8 – 11, 2022.
Anyone not in the UK or Ireland should use the Amazon.com link.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00SONOGF0

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00SONOGF0

Follow my published articles on Medium or my JournoPortfolio page.
https://clareobeara.journoportfolio.com/

Watch my book trailers for my science fiction series:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GadPp...
Visit my website:
www.clareobeara.ie
for news, puzzles, books, reviews and events.

We have created a new page for Young Adult readers. This contains plenty of horses and dogs! You can find my podcasts on the News and Events page. I provide a Writers’ Page giving tips about how to be an independent publisher. I am also adding book covers to Pinterest boards after I review the books, so feel free to find me on Pinterest.