THE START OF THE REST OF YOUR LIFE by Victoria Cornwall

A big hello and welcome to our newest member Victoria Cornwall. Once again we’re the Not-So-Secret-Seven! We're delighted to welcome Victoria and can't wait to find out a bit more about her. Over to you Victoria.

Thank you for the lovely welcome. As it is New Year's Eve it is not surprising that my first blog post is about the day. New Year’s Eve feels the same as any other day to me … until the sun goes down and the last hours of the year fade away with each chime of the clock. I often feel like I am standing on a precipice of something new and exciting, yet equally fearful that the coming year may not be all that I hope it will be. It is not unusual to have such thoughts in one’s life and find ourselves reflecting, or looking to the future, with a quizzical smile on our face. I have found indulging in a glass or two of wine will often bring such musings to the fore.

So what is in store for us in 2017? Well, I know Novel Points of View will feature in my future a little more than it has done in the past, because I offered (or was I invited) to join the blog as a regular poster. It happened at a party, over a glass of wine and against a noisy backdrop. The exact details of the conversation are somewhat hazy (probably because I was on my second glass), but I saw an opportunity that seemed too good to ignore and my inner self (who is more extrovert than my outer self) screamed “do it”. Perhaps now is a good time to introduce myself.

My name is Victoria Cornwall, which is a very apt name as I grew up on a farm in Cornwall and still live in the county today. I like to write Cornish based historical novels. I have not always been a writer; in fact it came rather late in my life. Originally, I worked as a nurse, a career which lasted for twenty-five years. Eventually, I left the NHS and took a job which gave me more time to write, something I had always wanted to do. To my surprise my initial attempts at writing were short listed for the U.K.’s New Talent Award and twice nominated for the RONÉ Best Indie or Small Published Book Award, U.S.A.

In 2016, I signed with Choc Lit, an independent publisher of

romantic fiction. My debut novel, The Thief’s Daughter, will be published as an eBook on the 3rd January, 2017. I like to write books which have a strong background story, but at the centre is the unmistakable emotion, even pain, of loving someone. I am married, have two grown up children and a devoted, dopey dog, called Alfie, who has an insatiable appetite for anything that can be swallowed.

I think that is enough about me and my writing journey so far. 2017 is looming at my door with a sack of surprises for me. I know what I hope will happen in 2017, i.e. the release of my book, but for the most part the next phase of my journey through life is largely unknown to me, despite the plans I have made.

For all of us, the coming year will be littered with opportunities (which we should grasp with both hands), people (some of which might just become our new best friend) and good luck, (which we all deserve from time to time). I won’t dwell on the bad things that might happen as I try to be a half full, positive type of gal. Anyway, there will always be the Novel Points of View blog to dip in and out of during the coming months to cheer me.

So if you feel like I do at the start of a new year, excited, but a little fearful of what it might bring, don’t worry. Just turn around and you will see the rest of the world are standing beside you too, having the same hopeful thoughts and feeling the same fears, and you will realise that you are not alone. So get ready to grab those opportunities coming your way, meet those people who want to be your friend and accept any luck that comes out of the blue, because you deserve it.

Happy New Year from us all at Novel Points of View!

What mixture of feelings do you feel at the start of a new year?

HERE’S TO CHANGES by Gill Stewart

This time of year always makes me think of changes (ch-ch-changes - thanks David Bowie). They come to us welcome or unwelcome, planned or taking us completely by surprise: but one thing is sure – come they will. Often, even when they’re not immediately appreciated, they are good for us. They shake us out of a comfortable lethargy and encourage us towards something new and different and (possibly) better. Some people, e.g. me, need these metaphorical kicks in the backside to get us going.

Here are a few changes that I didn’t want to happen and am now really pleased about:

      -         The advent of e-books. I said Nooo! I want real books! And I still do, but I love my Kindle for its size, and the fact it allows me easily to try new books I might not otherwise have considered.

      -          Divesting myself of possessions when moving house. This was another big Nooo! But it has been very cathartic, plus I’ve found some possessions I’d given up as lost years since, and I’m definitely not letting those go again.

      -          Realising that marketing books is an integral part of writing them and getting them read. This is a hard one because marketing does not come naturally to me, but it’s going to be on the list of New Year’s Resolutions I make on Thursday. Well, OK, this might not be a change I welcome, but I’m determined to go for it in 2016.

As some people may have noticed, changes are also afoot for Novel Points of View. We’ll say more about this in the New Year but suffice it to say these are changes I’m very much looking forward to.

What changes, welcome or otherwise, have you faced in 2015? What are you preparing for in 2016?