{"id":1505,"date":"2016-01-03T20:21:34","date_gmt":"2016-01-03T18:21:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/?p=1505"},"modified":"2016-01-03T20:21:34","modified_gmt":"2016-01-03T18:21:34","slug":"2016-off-to-a-great-start","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/?p=1505","title":{"rendered":"2016 &#8211; off to a great start!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/image.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1503\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/image-300x251.jpg\" alt=\"image\" width=\"300\" height=\"251\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/image-300x251.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/12\/image.jpg 940w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I hope you\u2019ve all had a good Christmas and New Year. I don\u2019t know about your house but this one always feels so much fresher and cleaner when all the cards and decorations have been tidied away.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignright size-medium wp-image-1510\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"image\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image-300x225.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image.jpg 640w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m a bit superstitious though, so I\u2019ve left the wreath up on the front door. With all the wind and rain, it looks battered but is just about holding together. A bit like me, after the party season!<\/p>\n<p>And, as the days are still so short, I\u2019ve taken the fairy lights off the front door and twined them around some twiggy things \u2013 sorry, I\u2019ve no idea what else to call them! It looks so cheerful, I might leave them there until the hours of daylight increase. And, of course, there&#8217;s an elephant. He&#8217;s called Timmy Tinkle. Don&#8217;t ask!<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\" size-medium wp-image-1511 alignright\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image1-e1451844236214-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"image\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image1-e1451844236214-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image1-e1451844236214.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not usually a fan of January but 2016 has, for me, started with two bits of lovely news.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/WIWW-final-cover.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1044\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/WIWW-final-cover-196x300.jpg\" alt=\"WIWW final cover\" width=\"196\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/WIWW-final-cover-196x300.jpg 196w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/WIWW-final-cover-672x1024.jpg 672w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/06\/WIWW-final-cover.jpg 1535w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 196px) 100vw, 196px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>The first was hearing While I Was Waiting has been included in AnnieBookCorner\u2019s Top Ten Books of 2015. I\u2019m absolutely delighted. Ann has been fantastic support and a quote from her review appeared on the back of the paperback, when it came out in September.<a href=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image2-e1451844400801.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1513\" src=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image2-e1451844400801-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"image\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image2-e1451844400801-225x300.jpg 225w, http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/01\/image2-e1451844400801.jpg 480w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019d got to know Ann on Facebook (we have doggy interests in common) and only put the Annie from her Book Corner together with the Ann who I swap silly dog pictures with, very recently. I was absolutely delighted with her review \u2013 she really seemed to \u2018get\u2019 the book.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the link to Ann&#8217;s fabulous site:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/anniecoopersbookcorner.blogspot.co.uk\/\">http:\/\/anniecoopersbookcorner.blogspot.co.uk\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p>And here&#8217;s Ann&#8217;s review:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/review\/R25MC4IDBKY6GC\/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B00OFLDV0G&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=341677031&amp;store=digital-text\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/review\/R25MC4IDBKY6GC\/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B00OFLDV0G&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=341677031&amp;store=digital-text<\/a><\/p>\n<p>The other news which brightened the stormy beginning to the year was finding out the book was listed in Morton Gray\u2019s Favourite Reads of 2015. Morton is a wonderfully warm person who I got to know last year. A fellow Romantic Novelists\u2019 Association member and World War 1 enthusiast, she\u2019s also a family history expert. I\u2019m thrilled she liked While I Was Waiting so much and gave it a score of 9 out of 10!<\/p>\n<p>Morton also reviewed the book. I always appreciate readers taking the time and trouble to review. It means so much:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/review\/R1UMO9AQ24ML1C\/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B00OFLDV0G&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=341677031&amp;store=digital-text\">http:\/\/www.amazon.co.uk\/review\/R1UMO9AQ24ML1C\/ref=cm_cr_dp_title?ie=UTF8&amp;ASIN=B00OFLDV0G&amp;channel=detail-glance&amp;nodeID=341677031&amp;store=digital-text<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s the link to Morton&#8217;s blog. It&#8217;s well worth keeping an eye on it, as Morton posts some really interesting stuff:<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/mortongray.blogspot.co.uk\/2016\/01\/my-favourite-reads-of-2015.html?showComment=1451750253898\">http:\/\/mortongray.blogspot.co.uk\/2016\/01\/my-favourite-reads-of-2015.html?showComment=1451750253898<\/a><\/p>\n<p>In both lists I\u2019m among hugely talented writers and am honoured and humbled.<\/p>\n<p>With a start like that, 2016 looks as if it\u2019s going to be a good year!<\/p>\n<p>I hope, whatever your hopes and dreams, that you too have a wonderful 2016.<\/p>\n<p>Love,<\/p>\n<p>Georgia x<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>I hope you\u2019ve all had a good Christmas and New Year. I don\u2019t know about your house but this one always feels so much fresher and cleaner when all the cards and decorations have been tidied away. I\u2019m a bit superstitious though, so I\u2019ve left the wreath up on the front door. With all the [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1513,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[517,519,135,427,366,105,47,518,241,28],"class_list":["post-1505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","tag-bestof2015","tag-annies-book-corner","tag-harper-impulse","tag-historical-romance","tag-morton-gray","tag-romantic-fiction","tag-the-romantic-novelists-association","tag-top-ten","tag-while-i-was-waiting","tag-world-war-1"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1505","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1505"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1517,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1505\/revisions\/1517"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/1513"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.georgiahill.co.uk\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}