The last year of the twenty-teens has been a big one for many, and the crew at Ouroborus Books are no exception. For today’s blog, our authors answered some candid questions about the year that was, and the decade to come.
First, some 2019 stats:
New books published: 4
(Children of the Locomotive, Haunted, Amity and Eye of the Storm)
Total words published: 387,501
Blog posts: 26
Now, onto the all-important questions and answers!
Sum up 2019 in a single sentence
Annalise: For me, 2019 has been about the changes in my life and that it can take a lot out of someone.
Shayla: I think I can sum it up in two words: treading water.
Rob: “Fall down seven times, get up eight.”
What was the biggest lesson 2019 taught you?
Annalise: The biggest lesson that I got from 2019 was to do things as soon as possible. As in editing. I found editing EoS to be quite challenging, challenging enough that I actually had to rewrite some parts. I think if I had finished some things earlier, then I would’ve given myself less pressure.
Danica: 2019 was full of ups and downs, fun travels, some extreme lows. But lessons that will allow me to grow and become to person I want to be.
Sabrina: That I can be true to myself and get along just fine.
Amanda: This year I learned a lot about perseverance. It has been a very heavy year for me personally with a lot of sickness throughout the year making other parts of my life difficult. I came face to face with the state of my mental health and have had to start the process of improving my quality of life in many ways. So generally I have learned and am still learning that I need to make time for myself and do what I can, not do everything thrown at me to make people happy otherwise I will be setting myself up to fail over and over again.
Josh: To just breathe, and let things sort themselves out.
Who inspired you in 2019?
Annalise: I suppose I can’t list everyone who inspired me in 2019. I had a lot of advice given to me by Shayla, Amanda and friends I’ve treasured.
Shayla: Greta Thurnberg. Children and young people with guts and vision constantly inspire me. This girl is taking a stand that matters and I am behind that 100%.
Rob: Oh my god, so many people, it’s been an awesome year for fantasy in general! But I think my no 1 goes to Neil Gaiman, watching my idol making his dreams come true on TV was amazing.
What was your favourite read of the year?
Annalise: So it’s a fanfiction, that I never thought that I would read. I don’t often read these kinds of fiction, but I saw a comic adaptation of it which prompted me to read it. I fell in love with the writing and only wish it was completed.
Sabrina: The Institute by Stephen King.
Josh: Ash Princess by Laura Sebastian.
How did this year progress you as a writer?
Annalise: I managed to successfully edit and publish Eye of the Storm. With the revision, I decided to revise Book 3 and got down above 100,000 words completed. On top of that, I have started Book 4 again, but while that’s been slow – I think it will pick up once my personal life settles a bit.
Amanda: This year as a writer I went through a long tunnel that had no end in sight. I was having trouble finding my way back to writing after life had gotten in the way and forced me to brush it aside. Since I use my writing as a creative outlet my mental health suffered due to this and I had to work to get through the tunnel and over the wall that was holding me back. Now I am back in the writing game, stronger than ever and writing my new books to the best of my ability and around my important life events.
Did you meet your 2019 goals?
Annalise: Did I meet my personal 2019 goals? Yes. On top of that, I have met some goals I had for 2020, such as getting a new car and finally getting a house to enjoy. Did I meet my writing goals? I like to say I did, but I kinda gave my series a soft reboot so I couldn’t finished my final book of the series.
Josh: No.
Shayla: Neither, I got totally derailed.
Amanda: In short, no. At the start of the year I knew I wanted to try and finish at least The White Wolf Trilogy (TWWT). I haven’t even managed that, because of the tunnel I found myself in and I struggled to find the end. I have now set new goals for the new year and I hope that they are more achievable than this year’s with my schedule.
What are your main goals for 2020?
Annalise: Writing-wise, I would like Book 4 to be finished and if I get enough funds I should be able to send Book 3 off to publishing.
Danica: Mine is to focus on my series Battles of Azriel. For I would like to publish book 3, get book 4 into editing and writing book 5. Let’s hope I can stay focused enough.
Sabrina: More writing. This year has been a hard one for me time-wise so I want to get some set time for writing next year.
Josh: Definitely get more of book 2 done.
Amanda: I really only have one writing goal for the new year, that is to finish writing TWWT. I have now started writing the final book so I believe this is completely doable. I have this goal because in 2021 I will be entering third year of my uni studies and I know I won’t get very much time to write. To allow for my readers to have closure before this time I want to have the books ready to go so that I don’t feel stressed about my writing projects during heavy study times. I still plan to write while I have heavier study, though nothing will probably be published in those two years except the third instalment of TWWT. As far as non-writing related goals go, I want to continue to better my physical and mental health that I have already started the journey for, I just want to maintain my current routine in regards to this and help better my general health as a whole.
What can readers anticipate from you in the new year?
Annalise: If I had an evil moustache, I would be twirling it. I have plans to publishing a free-to-read trivia from the Sacred Stone. I’m hoping to get some more lore down once things start settling. With everything going on, I have to see how I go though.
Shayla: New year, new author brand! I’m launching my newsletter, finally.
Rob: Well if I can get my mundane life together and scratch up the cash for it I’ll be publishing book 3, The Red Gentleman next year. It features Xavier at his most, excitable.
Grand plans for the ‘20s?
Annalise: First off, I want to start getting into my career. This way I will be able to feel mentally and physically satisfied. Hopefully with some funds, I want to be able to publish the remainder of the books and try to sell them at Dymocks. Which can only be sold in Perth because… haha… there’s nothing up here.
Sabrina: Take over the world!
Amanda: Really for the 20s I will be progressing from my 20s to my 30s. With my impending wedding in 2020 and university graduation set for 2022, I will be setting myself up in the teaching profession and cruising towards domestic bliss, and hopefully the beginning of starting a family with my husband to be. Writing-wise I will be entering into a new project next year and while I finish my studies so I am hoping to bring my new project to life with some world building and story development as we progress throughout the decade.
Very importantly: what’s on your wish list this Christmas?
Annalise: A pony! Haha not really. Poor thing would be squashed in this place. But I haven’t really thought of things I wanted.
Shayla: A pony is on my wish list every single year. Instead I have asked for tickets to German Comic Con in June because they don’t need to be fed as much.
Danica: Well I’d like a plane ticket that will take me to Africa or Egypt but I’ll settle for a new computer to help the writing progress.
From Amanda, Annalise, Danica, Josh, Mitchell, Rob, Sabrina and Shayla.
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