Well, that's 2013 over - 94 books read and an astonishing array of authors interviewed and hosted at events in Woodbridge. That sums up the year really. (There has also been a couple of short breaks to Germany and Spain, a 10k race run, coxing and sculling continued, and much enjoyed exploring the Suffolk countryside and social circles). It's been an exciting and challenging year, but how do I top it in the forthcoming 12 months?
The highlight had to be presenting Katherine Grainger to an audience of 250 in October. It had taken some eight months to set up the event to promote her autobiography and it proved nerve-wracking right to the last few minutes: I was due to be taking Katherine out on stage but she was still battling her way to the venue through traffic and terrible weather. Just a few minutes late, though, and it all went incredibly well. It was a huge privilege to meet her. What an amazing person she is! Completely unfazed by anything put before her; intelligent, funny, generous, committed and hugely inspiring.
It is difficult to see, for the moment, how I will be able to match that in the coming year. My programme of author events has also included Margaret Drabble, Kate Mosse, Deborah Moggach and Meg Rosoff, and I've met and interviewed Susan Hill and Simon Mayo. And I doubt I want to exceed my tally of 94 books read either - will I be able to remember plots or characters if I'm steaming through them at a faster rate?!
So what do I want to achieve in this coming year? Well, instead of reading so much, I think I need to up my game in writing this year. That means more blogs, more letters, more reviews, more articles, and more stories. Let's see how well I've done when I come back on 1 January 2015!