Saturday (7 November) marks my first anniversary as an indie-published children’s author (and, coincidentally, my beautiful great niece’s first birthday). So woohoo on both counts!

I can’t believe it’s 12 months since I published Hairy Fairy, or that I have managed to publish two more books – Isabella, Rotten Speller and Jamie and the Joke Factory since then. (Just in case you were under the impression I am frighteningly prolific, I should point out that Hairy Fairy was actually written back in 2012 and Isabella, Rotten Speller in 2013/14, though I did manage to complete Jamie and the Joke Factory, from start to finish, this year.)

The best thing about having published books, available to buy from Amazon (among others), is that it somehow, at least in my own eyes, legitimises the time I spend on my writing and colouring in. I no longer feel I have to be secretive and apologetic about it. It’s what I do. It’s my job (albeit a not particularly well paid one!)

Since finishing  Jamie and the Joke Factory, I have been trying to address that last issue by sharpening up on my marketing. To be fair, I was starting from a position of almost zero effort, so it’s not much to my credit that I can say I have made some progress over the last few weeks.

I had actually resolved to concentrate entirely on marketing between now and Christmas…

But yesterday I dug out the story I started, and then got stuck on, back in the summer and realised I know how to move it on after all. So I’m afraid that marketing will once again be taking a backseat (though I’ll try not to ignore it altogether!) as I am now going to try very hard to complete the first draft of my next book before Christmas, ready to start with the pictures early in the new year.

In case you’re wondering, it’s going to be my first ever sequel (if you see what I mean), following the further adventures of my little witch, Isabella. I’m very excited about it!

So I think it’s time I stopped doing this and started doing that. I am very much looking forward to my second year as an indie-published author and illustrator.