2017 in review

 

Today, we bid farewell to 2017. Like I usually do around this time of year, I find myself in a contemplative mood as I reflect on all that has happened in the last 365 days…and boy what a year it has been!

 

In 2017, I “officially” read 40 books (with the total probably being closer to 100), wrote approximately 230,000 words, and launched this website and its associated social media accounts.

 

As my last blog post for the year, I explore the writing milestones I reached, the blog posts I have published, and all the books I have read. My 2017 in review. What did you accomplish in 2017?

 

 

 Writing milestones:

• commenced second draft of Holding Up the Sky

Books I read:

• Nobody’s Hero (Letting Go #1) – j. leigh bailey
• Being Brooke (Barley Cross #1) – Emma Hart
• The Dragon Reborn (The Wheel of Time #3) – Robert Jordan [#6 in my top 10]

 

 

Writing milestones:

• commenced first draft of Old Blood (Graceborn #1)

Books I read:

• The Shadow Rising (The Wheel of Time #4) – Robert Jordan
• The Fires of Heaven (The Wheel of Time #5) – Robert Jordan

 

 

Books I read:

• Catching Carly (Barley Cross #2) – Emma Hart
• After I Fall (Falling #3) – Jessica Scott
• Stealing the Dragon (The Dragon’s Hoard #3) – Mell Eight

 

 

Books I read:

• Surrounded By Crimson (Sumeria’s Sons #4) – Lexi Ander
• Dragon’s Eye (Sumeria’s Sons #5) – Lexi Ander
• Falling – Suki Fleet

 

 

Books I read:

• Of Last Resort (Princes of the Blood #1) – Megan Derr [#10 in my top 10]
• A Court of Mist and Fury (A Court of Thorns and Roses #2) – Sarah J. Maas [#1 in my top 10]
• A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) – Sarah J. Maas

 

 

Writing milestones:

• completed second draft of Holding Up the Sky
• wrote 50,000 words of Old Blood (Graceborn #1) in three weeks

Books I read:

• Throne of Glass (Throne of Glass #1) – Sarah J. Maas
• Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) – Sarah J. Maas
• Heir of Fire (Throne of Glass #3) – Sarah J. Maas
• Queen of Shadows (Throne of Glass #4) – Sarah J. Maas [#4 in my top 10]
• Empire of Storms (Throne of Glass #5) – Sarah J. Maas
• Radiance (Wraith Kings #1) – Grace Draven
• Rhapsodic (The Bargainer #1) – Laura Thalassa

 

 

 Books I read:

• Lord of the Fading Lands (Tairen Soul #1) – C.L. Wilson
• With or Without You (Go Your Own Way #2) – Zane Riley

 

 

Writing milestones:

• launched this website
• launched my Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and Goodreads accounts
• commenced third draft of Holding Up the Sky

Blog posts:

• For the love of blank notebooks…
• A tale of brothers and blood
• Scattered lies and falling skies
• The letter that changed my life

Books I read:

• Once Pure (Shattered Past #3) – Cecy Robson
• Let Me (O’Brien Family #2) – Cecy Robson
• Fighting Silence (On the Ropes #1) – Aly Martinez

 

 

Blog posts:

• From unicorns to phoenixes: A writing journey
• JOURNEY PART 1: In the beginning
• JOURNEY PART 2: Descent into despair
• JOURNEY PART 3: The hand of the gods
• JOURNEY PART 4: Adding fuel to the fire

Books I read:

• The Shadow of What Was Lost (The Licanius Trilogy #1) – James Islington [#7 in my top 10 | read my review here]
• The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle #1) – Patrick Rothfuss [#2 in my top 10 | read my review here]
• The Glass House – Suki Fleet [#8 in my top 10]

 

 

Writing milestones:

• published Chapter 1 of Holding Up the Sky on my website

Blog posts:

• JOURNEY PART 5: Now and ever after
• EXCERPT coming soon!
• SNIPPET #1: Four days to go…
• SNIPPET #2: Three days to go…
• SNIPPET #3: Two days to go…
• SNIPPET #4: One day to do…
• Holding Up the Sky excerpt out now!
• How to conquer Evil Incarnate (a.k.a. thesis writing)
• Fitting writing into the work-life balance

Books I read:

• Echo Volume 1: Approaching Shatter – Kent Wayne [read my review here]
• Into the Blue – Pene Henson
• If You’re Going Through Hell, Keep Going (Mann of My Dreams #1) – Tinnean
• Things Happen That Way (Mann of My Dreams #2) – Tinnean
• Just the Thought of You (Mann of My Dreams #3) – Tinnean

 

 

Blog posts:

• In the wake of the storm
• A day in my summer writing routine

Books I read:

• The Wise Man’s Fear (The Kingkiller Chronicle #2) – Patrick Rothfuss

 

 

Writing milestones:

• reached 118,000 words in the first draft of Old Blood (Graceborn #1)
• reached 9,000 words in the third draft of Holding Up the Sky
• reached this many followers:
  • Blog                            17
  • Facebook                   52
  • Twitter                       49
  • Google+                      04

Blog posts:

• UPDATE: Old Blood reaches 100,000 words!
• My top 10 reads of 2017
• 2017 in review (this post)

Books I read:

• The Final Empire (Mistborn #1) – Brandon Sanderson [#9 in my top 10]
• Echo Volume 2: The Taste of Ashes – Kent Wayne [#5 in my top 10 | read my review here]
• Echo Volume 3: The Dialectic of Agony – Kent Wayne
• The Summer Prince (Captive Prince #3.5) – C.S. Pacat [#3 in my top 10]
• The Solstice Prince (Realms of Love #1) – S.J. Himes

 

What were your accomplishments for 2017? Wishing you all a Happy New Year!

 

Rebecca Alasdair