I have reached my 85th post today, since I began in March. As we come to the end of 2008 and approach the start of a new year, I have paused for reflection. I have come to the conclusion that the more I blog, the less I write. The more time I spend reading and learning from other writers, the less I spend reading my stack of books-to-be-read. So, I have decided to take my leave of the active writing-blogging community, and say a big thank you to all those who have read and commented, encouraged and informed me, in my brief foray in blogging. I don't intend this to be a negative decision, against blogging in any way. Much more it is a positive affirmation, that I want to write other material. The Amateur Book Blogger's scrapbook is just being temporarily shelved.

As the book quiz result told me, "All you wanted was a nice cup of tea when some haggard crazy old man came into your life and told you it was time to do something with yourself. Now you’re all conflicted about whether to stick with your stay-at-home lifestyle or follow this crazy person into the wild." So I'm off into the wild.

I'll continue to follow many of your sites, news and keep up to date with many of the goings-on of the literary world, through new found friends and resources, but not blog myself. This will give me a little more time, which I want to commit to my own writing.

It's been a very difficult debate - on the one hand, by blogging I write something, regularly. And I have the opportunity for feedback and sharing with other writers. But on the other, as a full-time Mum, I have very limited time for writing. I have increasingly felt my first call of writing-duty was to blog, and if that was the only time I had writing in the day, then I made no progress on other projects.

My WIP fiction, is at around 40,000 words. And has been like that since March. The time has come to get back in and finish it. And it is thanks to Mike French, Paul Burman, Patricia Wood, Becky Ramsey and many others whose own writing and energy have inspired me, that I want to drive it over the finish line. It will more than likely become that 'first novel' which lies in a desk drawer and backed up on the hard drive, never to see the light of an editor's desk. But I know that I must complete that first book, before I can get started on number two. And however many more it takes, to get published. Because, as I approach my mid-thirties, and the start of a new year, I realise that every day is a gift. We have no idea how long we have in good health, and if we have dreams we want to achieve, we'd better get on and make them happen. No one else can do it for us.

Still plenty of great reading over at The View From Here. Currently my news holiday postings include guest posts from Becky Ramsey, John Siddique, Jonathan Stroud and MG Harris. Plus a tentative yes, from Bernard Cornwell. These, plus other new books and stories make up the Twelve Days of Christmas Series. And the team's favourite books of 2008 are posted too, on the main page. Certain to be lots of interesting things going on in 2009 there for sure.

What's going to happen in publishing in 2009? Daisy Frost has a great tongue in cheek view of the London scene. I'll be interested to see what happens to the Plastic Logic Reader, Kindle & co and digital books. What will happen to Borders? Will the Google Book Agreement go global? Will there be significant publishing house restructurings or mergers? Will the no-returns policy finally be phased out? What will China showcase at the Frankfurt Book Fair?

So, it's not goodbye, for I will still be around. More of an "Auf Wiedersehen". A very big thank you to all who have stopped by over the last nine months. And a very happy & healthy 2009 to you all.