Tag: 2026

If you’re new here, you haven’t misread the title of this post. You see, I don’t make resolutions every year, I make ‘absolutions’, where I absolve myself of ‘must dos’ that won’t serve me.

I’ve only just realised I didn’t do my absolutions this time last year. We were in Mexico this time last year, spending time with close friends from Seattle days who live there. We had a small apartment, immersed in our little town, and I was writing madly. Maybe I was too ‘in the moment’ to think as far ahead as the rest of 2025.

And I certainly didn’t foresee how the year ended, with us buying a house in a small coastal town in the southwest of Western Australia. That’s right, the apartment-dwelling city lovers who take off for a year at a time to travel are putting down roots! Didn’t have that one on my BINGO card, but it feels so right.

And hilariously, when I look back on previous years’ absolutions, I discover that I often end up doing them anyway at some point. Like in 2019, when I absolved myself from joining Instagram (hah! hilarious), going grey (proud silver vixen here) and getting into VR, which I did voraciously during the pandemic.

Anyway, back to this year’s absolutions. In 2026, I hereby absolve myself from:

1. Becoming a content creator/influencer

In 2021, I absolved myself from jumping on the TikTok train and this absolution tops my list for 2026. It takes a lot of work to create content for social media and with the ever-changing algorithms, it seems like blind luck whether a post goes viral or not. And because my job is large-scale, long-form content creation (as in, writing books), that part of my brain is BIZZ-EEE. (Aside: I take all my hats off to my author friends, who create these super engaging videos for readers. I’m in awe that you fit it in.)

2. Giving up on my side projects

Like many (if not most) authors, I have multiple side projects on the go as well as writing my contracted books. There’s the co-authored sexy, twisty thriller which is still looking for a home, the Australian-set ‘book of my heart’, a novel inspired by a tough time in my life that I’m seeking an Aussie publisher for, and What the Fuck, Menopause? The ABCs and WTFs of Menopause, a laugh-out-loud picture book for menopausal women.

Actually, WTF, Menopause? is more than one book. In my mind, it’s a brand and the picture book is just the first product in the line. Since mid-2024, it’s been to acquisitions THREE times with three different publishers on three continents. We’ve been so close to getting a deal, one of the publishers showed me paper stock and illustrations by their choice of artist.

But alas, no deal. As Gen-X storms into menopause, proclaiming loudly that we are not putting up with the shitstorm it brings, now is the time for this book – and the brand. I just need a fellow Gen-Xer, one with the clout and reach to bring this dream to fruition, to give it a fair shake, because the publishers are still a little hesitant to dive headlong into the menopausal mire. One even asked me to go away and become an influencer then come back to them when I was (see absolution #1 for why this isn’t happening).

With all of these projects (and the others I haven’t mentioned here) I could just shrug, say ‘oh well’ and shelve them indefinitely, but I’m doing that. No frigging way, because I believe in all of them and I’m positive that one day, their respective moments will come. As an author, I’m building a portfolio career. I may always write romcoms, but there’s a lot more I have to say.

3. Worrying about money

This will be hard – very – because even when I was working fulltime and earning royalties, I worried about money. Now that I’m a fulltime author, reliant on the inconsistent and fickle world of publishing for most my income – and we’ve bought a house – I’m mindful that worrying could consume me if I let it. It’s a mindset shift – a tough one, but one I’m consciously making. Besides, I’ve got other irons in the fire, ways to supplement my income, and I’m also hopeful that one or more of my side projects will get its moment in 2026.

4. Joining a team

Our new hometown is small, but social, something we’ve already embraced as we get to know our neighbours and make friends with other couples. It’s also a town brimming with teams – they even have dragon boat racing here. But I’m not really a team kinda gal. It’s not that I can’t play nicely with others, but I suck at ball sports and I’m generally uncoordinated, so yoga and weight training are more my jam.

I do want to engage with the local community, but I’ll stick to less physically demanding endeavours, like book club and coffee dates.

I think that’s all for 2026. Drop a comment below with your absolutions and I hope you have a very safe, happy and healthy new year.