In this magical time, after the summer solstice, Christmas and Boxing Day, but before the new year… In the enchantment of this inbetween time – between celebrations, between years, between moments, between versions of our selves…

In these golden moments I wish for all of us peace and clarity and strength. I wish for all of us the courage to look deep within and discover our true heart, our true fears, our true dreams. I wish for all of us the bravery to let go of what we have lost, what no longer serves us, and all the disappointments and heartbreaks and obstacles we have found on this journey through life.

At this time of the dark moon, as the lunar energy wanes and the year draws to a close, look within and decide what to let go of – of this month, and of this year… What hurt you? What upset you? What disappointed you? What went wrong for you? Be brave. Dig deep. Search your heart. Let go of what you no longer need, let go of the hurt and the anger and the fear. Look within to your own wisdom, and trust your intuition as we approach the magic of the new moon, and a new year…

In November I lost my job, as the company is closing the Kids Mags department – although I have to stay until the end of March. After eight years as editor of more than fifty issues a year, it will be strange to let it go. I am sad about it, and there are many things I will miss (including the people I work with, and the pay cheque!), but I am focusing on the positive, on new energy for new projects, on new opportunities and new chances and new challenges and new adventures for 2017.

In 2016 I also faced my biggest fear when I agreed to be on an author panel at Book Expo, speaking in public for the first time ever, which terrified me, but I was also proud that I was going to overcome this fear that has been holding me back. But then it was cancelled, just a couple of days beforehand. I lost my chance to conquer my fear, lost the opportunity to meet new readers, lost a weekend with Selina Fenech and two of our Story Queens writer buddies, and lost money. There’s not much on the positive side to this one – I’ve chalked it up as one of those disappointing things that just happens, because bad things do sometimes happen for no reason – but I’m focusing on all the good things that outweigh this one bad one…

Because as much as we need bravery to face the tough things and the losses, I also wish for us the eyes to see the blessings we received in this year almost gone. Not just the lessons from the hardships, but the achievements big and small. The new friends, the new hopes, the new situations, the new strengths. What did you birth into the world this year? What did you dream into being?

I edited and published the hardcover Into the Mists Trilogy Omnibus, which I absolutely love, I published Into the Mists: A Journal, which combines writing exercises, words of wisdom from the Mists characters and lots of space to write your own story, and shared a wonderful launch with author Felicity Pulman.

I did Camp NaNoWriMo in April and again in July, working hard on my Into the Mists Chronicles, and in November I wrote more than 50,000 words of Into the Storm, the first of Rhiannon’s books, during NaNoWriMo – including almost 8000 words on the final day. I don’t necessarily want to do that again, but it showed me what I can achieve through focus, discipline, dedication and sheer stubbornness 🙂

I met with my author buddies from the Story Queens once a month, supportive, encouraging, challenging and inspiring catch-ups, and we shared an online launch for our joint website in March, went on a writing retreat in November, did an online market then a real-life market together in December, and I continue to do writing sprints with K. A. Last.

I went on an amazing magical journey with my sweet hubby to Wales and England, where we climbed up mountains to find the stone circles on top, crawled into ancient burial mounds to feel the whispers of the past, and sat by the Chalice Well, on the summit of the Tor and within the darkness of the temple of the White Springs, and breathed in the peace of the place where we spent our honeymoon.

It was a magical year. And now, as the lunar phase shifts from the introspective crone energy of the dark moon to the love, energy and inspiration of the new moon – and of the approaching new year – it’s time to tap in to the energy and potential swirling around us, for new growth, new ideas and new dreams. Breathe in the passion and power to begin whatever it is you’ve been longing to manifest into the world… Dream and scheme and plot and plan, then work out concrete, actionable steps you can take to move forward towards your goals – and do them.

There is magic in this inbetween time, in this shifting from one year to the next. This is when you can start to dream all that you hope for into being. You just need to connect with it, and with yourself, and set your intentions for an enchanted 2017…

As we stand on the precipice of a new year, a new beginning, a new dream, what will you usher in – to your life, to your heart, to your world – in the coming year?