The past year has been … not quite so bad as I thought it might be. I spent five months of it in California on a work experience, where I met cool people and ate good food. I was able to get some writing done, though not, perhaps, as much as I would have liked. Most importantly, I’ve now made it a full year without any serious relapses in my bipolar disorder. I’ve been able to keep to my medications regularly, although I’m not exercising as much as I ought to, granted; but I haven’t slipped once into a crippling depression from which there appears to be no escape.

In this regard, I should take a moment to recognize some of the achievements I’ve accomplished in 2016. From publishing one novel to writing another, things have gone pretty well, and there are some that I’m not entirely ashamed of.

1. In February, I launched the second book in The Redemption of Erâth series, Exile. I hosted a week-long Facebook party, gave out dozens of copies, and got several reviews in return.
2. In April, I went to California for a five-month career experience, taking me away from my home and family for probably the longest period of time I can remember. And I survived!
3. In May, I got to see The Cure live—they were phenomenal.
4. In November, I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time in five years. I didn’t win, but it’s the effort that counts!
5. Throughout all this year I managed to struggle through possibly the hardest book to write so far in the Redemption of Erâth series, and I can happily say it’s almost complete—only one chapter left to write!

As you can see, all-in-all I feel pretty good about where I’m at right now—which is a distinct improvement from this time last year. So here’s to 2017, and whatever it may bring: the goal is to release the third book in the Redemption of Erâth, Ancients & Death, and hopefully see a few more reviews of my other books start to trickle in. Additionally, I’d like to try and post here with a little more regularity and frequency, and spent just a little bit of time reading what you all have to say, too.

Happy New Year!