Closing the Chapter on 2024
Hello from a cold and frosty Perthshire!
As the year comes to a close, I hope 2024 has been a good one for you.
I’m delighted to be ending the year on a high. This year has seen my author business grow and expand in ways I could never have imagined, bringing with it exciting opportunities and connections. It’s also partly why it’s been a while since I’ve sent out a newsletter—2024 turned out to be an unbelievably busy year (in the best possible way!).
This year, the spotlight has been on my novels, which was simply how my writing calendar unfolded. But 2025 is shaping up to be quite different! I’ve got exciting plans for both my children’s picture books and my romantic suspense novels, and I’ve spent the last few days organising my diary for what’s ahead.
Children In Read – Children In Need
This was my fourth year taking part in Children in Read, a wonderful book auction raising funds for Children in Need.
Thanks to all the generous bidders, the auction raised a whopping £14,705 this year, with every single penny going directly to the cause.
And being sandwiched between Ian Rankin and Michael Ball on the listings? Well, that wasn’t too bad either!
A heartfelt thank you to the winning bidder of Anna’s Promise. I popped a few extra surprises into the parcel, and I hope she enjoyed them just as much as the book itself.
A Right Cozy Christmas Crime
I was thrilled to be invited to take part in a festive anthology. I’m sure you’ve seen it mentioned on my social media pages, but it’s a collection of thirteen short stories by thirteen authors from across the UK and the EU.
I’m looking forward to reading the other stories in the coming days—curled up on the sofa, cup in hand, and maybe a few festive chocolates to keep me company.
International Page Turner Book Awards Finalist 2024
I don’t usually enter competitions, but I decided it wouldn’t hurt to submit one book from both of my genres. I decided on Abigail Returns and The Fairy in the Kettle Gets Magical, and then I pretty much forgot about it.
So, you can imagine how blown away I was when I got the email telling me I’d been named as a finalist! It was such a surprise, and this is the feedback I received that encompasses both genres…
𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗰𝗿𝗮𝗳𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗰 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻.
𝗬𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗱:
– 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 𝘄𝗵𝗼 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗯𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲.
– 𝗥𝗶𝗰𝗵, 𝗲𝘃𝗼𝗰𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗱𝗲𝘀𝗰𝗿𝗶𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘁𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀.
– 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗲𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗼𝗻𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀 𝗹𝗼𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗳𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴.
– 𝗦𝗸𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗳𝘂𝗹 𝗽𝗮𝗰𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆 𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆.
– 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗮𝗹 𝗱𝗶𝗮𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗮𝗹𝘀 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗽𝗹𝗼𝘁.
– 𝗣𝗼𝗹𝗶𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗱 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗳𝗹𝗼𝘄𝘀 𝘀𝗲𝗮𝗺𝗹𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗹𝘆.
– 𝗢𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗹 𝘃𝗼𝗶𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘄𝗼𝗿𝗸 𝗱𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀.
As you can imagine, this feedback means the world to me. I write what I love, and it’s given me a huge boost as I prepare for 2025.
Reluctant Readers
Reluctant Readers is completely unrelated to my writing. It’s a weekly newsletter that goes out to parents and carers of children who are reluctant to read for varying reasons.
It allows me to continue helping our younger generations, pulling on my experiences working in school with children who needed extra-curricular support in literacy.
I cover everything from Autism, ADHD, visual and hearing impairments, to children who simply find reading boring.
My first newsletter went out in February this year and it has steadily grown with Netflix choosing to sponsor it. That request was out of the blue and a testament to the fact I was doing something right!
My newsletter will take a break over Christmas and New Year, but it will be back in January 2025.
If you would like to know more, my most recent newsletter along with the back library can be found here.
Help, Please!
After posting about taking part in the Children in Read auction, the Facebook bots deleted my posts and plunged me into a sort of open prison.
They didn’t delete my page, but I was given a stern warning, as they presumed I was trying to gain sales on the back of Children in Need.
This was definitely not the case. Authors who take part in the Children in Read auction donate their books for free, and my lucky bidder would find a few extra surprises when she opened her parcel, meaning the authors are happily out of pocket and doing their bit to help raise money for a fantastic cause.
But it has left my Facebook page, Pauline Tait Author & Writing Mentor, struggling as the algorithms are not doing their bit to push my page to as many people as it used to.
As a result, there are far fewer likes, comments, and shares on my posts, which in turn pulls it down in the algorithms again.
I would be eternally grateful for any help with this. I will be quieter over the festive break but as we go into 2025 any likes, comments, and shares would help get it back up there. xx
Professional Writing & Publishing Mentor
I still pinch myself a little with this. Mentoring was never in my plans, instead it’s something I have fallen into naturally. And I do get the same enjoyment out of it as I did helping children in school.
I’m fortunate in that I can work my calendar so that my writing isn’t affected. Mentoring is currently kept to a Thursday, that may change as clients come and go, but keeping it to one day is working and as well as helping other authors, it has allowed me to meet amazing people.
As always, if it’s something you are interested in, you can find out more about how I can help you here.
Ending 2024 on a High
Still reeling from the feedback from the Page Turner Book Awards in November, I was thrilled to discover that Sarah, bookseller and events manager at Waterstones in Dundee, included Anna’s Promise in her favourite reads of 2024.
Coming from a member of the Waterstones team, this makes it all the more special. The spring in my step as I head into 2025 has resulted in a few more notepads being purchased!
Newsletters
One of my New Year’s resolutions is to be better at sending out my newsletters. It was suggested I hire someone, but I shot that idea down sharpish as it’s important to me that you hear from me!
As always, you’re welcome to reply to my newsletters, it falls straight into my inbox so I can’t miss it.
Festive Break
I’m now on holiday until Tuesday, January 7th, with mentoring starting again on the 9th.
We’ll have a busy house over Christmas and New Year! My youngest, who moved abroad earlier this year, is arriving home with her lovely partner in just a few days, and we can’t wait. There will be plenty of family time, walks, and good company as we enjoy having everyone together. With our children all grown up and working, it means lots of coming and going until well into the new year, but that’s just how we like it!
And Finally…
I want to take a moment to thank you for being here.
Whether you follow me on social media, attend my events, buy or review my books, I’m incredibly grateful to have you along on this journey. Your support means the world to me, and I’m excited to share 2025 with you.
I wish you and your family a very Merry Christmas, and a happy, healthy New Year.
And if Christmas isn’t your thing, I hope you enjoy a peaceful and restful mid-winter break.
Pauline xxx
