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Afrikaans, chickens, Friends, friendships, horses, INK Skryf in Afrikaans, my writing, outings with friends, Publishing, Red Hat Society, Ronel Janse van Vuuren, Ronel the Mythmaker, Rottweilers, South African, Team Arrow, writer's life, writing, writing news
I thought the last post for 2017 should reflect the blog’s tagline. (Remember: I’m offline during the months of the Solstice and the Equinox – June & December, March & September.)
Let’s start with something fun. I took a photo with my favourite villain this weekend. Yes, Darth Vader… in Lego form.
Later in the day I went to a high tea with my Red Hat Society Chapter.
And I met Anne in person!
It’s great when your friends are as awesome in person as they are online.
Just before you think the Red Hatters only do high tea…
Yeah, we have loads of fun.
I told you a while back that I have a rooster named Sara.
Nyssa is currently staying in the nesting box – we’ll have chicks in a month. Oliver is the rooster with the colourful feathers and Sara is the other rooster posing for photos. Tatsu and Felicity are more interested in insects than anything else.
Team Arrow is awesome. Oh, the white hen is Tori – she just appeared one day last year and has stayed with us ever since.
I’ve mentioned that we got horses a few months ago.
The twins love them.
Since they got horses, the boys have been a lot more active and a lot happier than they’ve been since Emmett’s death.
I’ve done a lot of reading and reviewing the last couple of months. You can check out my reviews on Goodreads and you should definitely check out this book if you want to read a bit of inspirational non-fiction.
As the summer days almost compel me to rather swim than write, the right motivation gets me through the heat.
I told you all about the INK Gala evening and the awards I won and that my short story collection was published.
In the meantime I’ve done the work to get Eens… into ebook and POD (print on demand) formats and it’s already on Kobo and Groep 7’s website. I’m still working on the English version of the anthology, but it should be ready for sale in January 2018.
(If you’d like a signed copy, send me a message via my contact page.)
Despite the burnout I suffered this year, I have to admit that I had a wonderful writing year. I did a lot of things I never thought I would. I did guest posts, I became a guest contributor to Writer to Writers, I’m a judge for Cracked Flash Fiction Competition (it will resume in January – we all have crazy schedules with new projects we started. Writers, right?) and I did interviews and spotlights on my blog. And, yeah, the publications and wins mentioned above.
In December I’m rewriting a novel I wrote twelve years ago. Sounds crazy – I read the printed out manuscript and thought “Who wrote this? Oh, me.” – and it would probably be easier to write something new from scratch, but this story has voice and the worldbuilding is done. It only needs plot 😉
Yeah, fun in the sun will have to wait. I can already hear the swimming pool calling me…
I want to wish my readers a safe and happy December filled with lots of love and reading. I’ll see you all again in January 2018.
Do you get surprised with fun things when you go out? Have you met your online friends in person? Do you have any pets with interesting quirks?
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Wonderful, Ronel! Enjoy December.
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Thanks, Jennie 🙂 You too.
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🙂
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Great photos! Good luck with your new/old novel. My current WIP is based on an old novel (which I’ve been rewriting in one form or another for about 25 years – it’s a very different story now though, just the basic premise remains). Have a great December!
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Thanks, Annalisa 🙂 You too.
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Looks like a charmed life! So happy to see you’re well!
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Thanks, Kelly 🙂 I pour all the unpleasant things into my writing 😉
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What a lovely post Ronel. I love all the pictures and the great quotes. Sometimes I am surprised when I go out. Sometimes I like to sit at bars just to talk to interesting people. I have a silly cat. He makes me laugh. I have met one online writing friend. I took a plane one summer to meet her. It was the best experience I had had in a long time. Have a lovely month of December away from blogging. May 2018 be just as fruitful for you 🙂
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Thanks, Erika 🙂 May you have an awesome 2018.
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I love your chicken names! Love Team Arrow 🙂
Have a fun December off and enjoy the holidays!
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Such memorable photos, Ronel! I especially enjoyed the ones with Anne and her daughter, so fun!
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Thanks, Theresa 🙂
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Hi Ronel, I know, it took me this long to get to my reading. Life!
Thank you so much! It was really wonderful to meet you and spending more time again with you earlier this month. I had planned to organize something before Christmas but I got sick (Again! I hope it’s the last and none in 2018.) and I did absolutely nothing. I almost did not enjoy at all our staycation in Sandton.
I love the pics! Those horses are magnificent!
We did have a good year despite the challenges!
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Thanks, Anne 🙂 I hope you have a healthy 2018.
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Thanks so much, Ronel! Working on my health issues… 🙂
I ordered 20 copies of Cinderella Reimagined, for a start.
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Sounds good. I’ll let you know how many I want 🙂
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Thank you. Happy New Year!!!
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Great pics!
Looking forward to your book being translated.
I hope you have fun during your time away.
Happy 2017.
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Thanks, J 🙂
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