It was a strange year, 2013. It was the year I had to give up my teaching job and fought against depression and anxiety attacks. It was also the year I got published and the year I wrote, edited and worked more than I ever could have imagined. One week I was at my absolute lowest, the next all my dreams were starting to come true . Oh yeah, and of course: Just as the year was nearing its end, I spent two weeks in hospital and had major abdominal surgery – also a scary first. It was a strange year.

Most of the time, I wrote because it was the only thing I had left. Because being jobless, scared to leave the house and broke couldn’t be my only story; that couldn’t be all there was to me or I wasn’t sure I wanted to stick around. And so I wrote, and I wrote a lot. (It also helped that i have an amazing friend in Lorrie, who pulls me along when I feel down and hopeless). And sitting here, at the verge of 2014 – I’m moved and proud of how I got through it all, of what I achieved.

Two of my books were picked up for publication – By the Light of the Moon by Crimson Romance in January (released in April) and Driftwood Deeds by A Hotter State in September (released in December). On top of that, 18 shortstories of mine were accepted into anthologies, most of which will come out some time next year. I also won Alison Tyler’s Smut Marathon, which ran all year and was a lot of fun.

All the while I kept writing and if I tally all the numbers, I end up at the insane figure of 472,097 words in 2013. That’s almost 1300 words every single day this year. And I didn’t even count editing, planning, brainstorming and abandoned projects.

Here’s the tally:

A Taste of Winter (Lakeside #2)  -  75.495

Driftwood Deeds – 27.023

Where the Wind Settles – 62.991

Worse Things – 55.345

33 Shortstories + Flash Fiction Pieces – 87.610

Driftwood Deeds (Erotic Romance) is obviously already published, A Taste of Winter (Romantic Fantasy) is waiting for a last polish and Where the Wind Settles (YA, lgbt, coming of age) and Worse Things (Rock & Roll Romance) are first drafts.

I also wrote 4 novels with L.C. Spoering, and from those I counted half the words as mine.

This Moment, Yearning – 58.075

After Life Lessons – 91.783

Forest Fires (Mona Ceol #1) – 90.356

Lost Rites (Mona Ceol #2) – 87.053

This Moment Yearning (Erotic Romance) is currently set on the backburner and might never see the light of day (writing together takes some figuring out). We will release After Life Lessons (Zombie Apocalypse Love Story) in the Spring of 2014 and both Mona Ceol books (Paranormal Romace/Urban Fantasy) are in the editing stage waiting to be submitted.

I also read 45 books – not my personal best, but definitely the best since I was a BA student and I managed to stick with my resolution to read more books by women, who are way ahead in numbers on my reading list this year. Go me, go women writers everywhere!

And now, before I get riddiculously big-headed, let me finish this retrospective with a few 2013 favourites:

Favourite Book:  Purple Hibiscus by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie and Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut

Favorite Album: Tape Deck Heart by Frank Turner

Favourite Album for writing: Every Kingdom by Ben Howard

Favourite Single: She Keeps Me Warm by Mary Lambert

Favourite Movie watched: Nobody Walks (I don’t watch a lot of movies)

Favourite TV shows: Game of Thrones, The Big Bang Theory, Downton Abbey

Favourite Social Media Site: Goodreads, Pinterest

Favourite Game played: Dragon Age Origins, also Minecraft

Favourite People: L.C.Spoering and my brother Robert

Favourite Actor: John Krasinski

Favourite Animal: My cat Nookie

Favourite Possession: My Kindle

Best News: Matt Smith will leave Doctor Who.

So there you go. That was 2013. Join me back here tomorrow, for an outlook into 2014 and maybe, possibly, a few resolutions and plans.

Love you all and wish you the very happiest New Year, and that all your dreams come true.

xoxo, Laila