On towards 2011

Journalists keep themselves busy before Christmas by writing reviews and previews. I did one for my mag before I left.

Personal reviews and previews are harder to do. Ideally, I'd dig through 12 months worth of blog posts and filter out the things that were important.

In 2010

- I changed jobs twice and very nearly doubled my salary (if we count writing income, I did double it and then some)

- I moved into Casa Voinov

- I traveled to Turkey, Chicago, Warsaw and Moscow (and liked Chicago best)

- I got a crapload of stuff published. This fits with what I planned for the year. Put myself on the map. Last year this time all I had was "Deliverance". Everything else you see here came out in 2010.

- I did some great and fun writing with my amazing co-writers: Raev Gray, Kate Cotoner, Barbara Sheridan, Rhianon Etzweiler and, toward the end of the year, Rachel Haimowitz. Chapeau, guys. Even more awesome that some debuted that way. Makes me feel like an enabler.

- I had a hand in getting people together. Introduce authors to authors, betas to betas, authors to publishers. Regardless of my own little ego, helping others meet friends and colleagues is something I really enjoy (I did mention I had a hand in a couple marriages, right?).

- I met awesome readers/supporters, almost too numerous to mention (and here I am, worried I'm forgetting somebody). Marcie, Audra, Kate, Jon, Jason, all the people over at Goodreads (65 of them!), on Facebook, Twitter and Livejournal.

- I learnt a really important lesson somewhen this year. Which is to not expect the worst from people. I've relaxed a lot in a social context. That's a big deal. I'm enjoying people more than I ever have. And they enjoy me a great deal more. There's a lesson in that.

- I edited chapters 14-30 of "Special Forces". At that pace, I might need another year or two to finish. But I won't let Special Forces kill any more of my books. It's killed too many of them already.

- I've written my little black heart out, both professionally and personally. I've written enormous technical features I wouldn't have understood myself just six months ago. I learnt a crapload about financial products, but more importantly, about financial markets. I've learnt it's just a game. Magic beans in the sky.

- I think I've stood by my friends and my friends stood by me. Massive deal.

- I'm primed and ready for 2011 and ready to greet it with a "hell, yeah."

2011:

- The aim is to pay off the mortgage faster while interest rates are low. Get some more double glazing in. Have a plan for the garden (which is a mess). Buy the last shelf, and look at prices to re-do the bathroom and kitchen.

- Return to the gym. Hire a pro to kick my ass there.

- Grok the new job and learn what I can while there. That job's not the end-point, not by a long shot, but I need to prove myself all over again.

- Develop an investment strategy. I want to beat my pension fund's performance. I might look into day trading, too. I know a forex trader who made a crapload of money betting dollar versus euro. I might even start a blog on personal finance. There's just so much bullshit out there. (And yes, I actually find finance fascinating).

- Write books: Iron Cross, Lying with Scorpions, Lion of Kent: 2 + 3 (at the very least. There are smaller projects that fit in somewhere around there, but I'm not counting the shorts and novellas in this list).

- Very likely write a German historical.

- Meet more people, beta-read my friends' books, review, read.

And that's really it. In 2010, I did kick ass and took names, and I have every intention to keep it up in 2011. While having fun.