Wow, is it really Old Year’s Night? What a year it has been. Overall I’d say it was a good one for me, in literary terms, if not the best health-wise (see my last blog post about that). Without further ado, here’s my wrap-up for 2022.
1. I published 4 books this year
Yep, two poetry books and two novels; pretty productive even if I say so myself. Poetry first with The Redundancy of Tautology on 15 June, followed by my third novel The Blue Man on 29 July, poetry collection A Model Archaeologist on 16 August and fourth novel The Fairy Lights on 10 November.
2. Two of my books got onto bestseller lists
I never expected to have a book on an Amazon bestsellers list, never mind to stay in the top 10 for 8 days in a row, but The Blue Man did just that. At its peak, it also reached 2113 out of the many millions of eBooks in the Kindle store.
The Fairy Lights also made it onto a bestseller rank for hardcovers coming in at #8 on Ingramspark in the category of Ghost fiction.
Before I continue, may I add that having a book get onto a bestseller list doesn’t make it a bestselling book. There’s a world of difference between the two. I was thankful to have enough sales to propel my books onto bestseller lists, even if only for a few days in a row. I always count my blessings!
3. I also launched two Bindweed anthologies, publishing writers and poets worldwide
Although my hubby and I have been running our creative writing ezine, Bindweed Magazine, since 2016, this year we gave it a big overhaul and launched two paperback and Kindle anthologies: Midsummer Madness and Winter Wonderland, both available through Amazon. We are proud to publish writers and poets from all over the world, giving new authors and established authors alike a platform for their writing – and another credit for the writing CV. If you’re a writer and want to submit, check out our submission guidelines.
4. I have read 76 books this year and reached my Goodreads challenge goal
I have been reading mainstream/traditionally published paperbacks through my author Goodreads account and reviewing Indie eBooks on Amazon through my pseudonymous reader account. All in all I have read 76 books this year.
So that’s a wrap for 2022. I have a busy schedule planned for 2023, so let’s see how the literary life unfolds in the new year. Happy New 2023 everyone!
Leilanie Stewart 