On 3 April 2017, I will have lived Down Under for 3000 days, or 8 years 2 months and 3 weeks. One thousand days ago, on 8 July 2014, I set myself some goals to reach before Day 3000.
Let’s see how I’ve done!
1) Publish my first book. TICK
In September 2016, I finally published by debut novel, SAM. To date, I have sold 453 eBooks and 86 paperbacks. I have an amazon.com rating of 4.3/5 and a goodreads.com rating of 3.89/5.
2) Renovate our house. TICK
We renovated the interior, had the house re-roofed, and painted the outside. We may now by broke, but at least we can be broke in style! 🙂
3) Become a NZ Citizen. TICK
In November 2015, I pledged allegiance to Her Majesty, the Queen, and became a fully fledged citizen of New Zealand. My new passport’s first excursion was to Canberra, to attend a conference at the Federal Parliament.
4) Visit a Pacific Island. ALMOST
I’ll be visiting Fiji in August this year.
WHAT NEXT FOR ME?
I really do believe that by writing down your goals you are more likely to achieve them. So, by 29 December 2019, I hereby pledge to have achieved the following:
1) I will have finished by second novel, “1968”, and have started my third;
2) I will have received a promotion at work or have moved into a new role;
3) I will not have eaten anything containing more than 5% sugar for the entire 1000 days;
4) I will have visited my family and friends in the UK;
5) I will have taken part in a sporting event or competition;
6) and I will have lost at least 7kg in weight.
I’ll check in at regular intervals to let you know how I’m getting on!
lukefharris 
Nice job! That’s quite a lot in 1000 days! Good luck with the rest of the list. . . especially the sugar part. In theory it should only get easier as the days go by, right? Now I’m inspired. Maybe I need my own list. 🙂
Thanks, Greg! I gave up sugar for 14 months a few years ago and I felt so much better for it. But, alas, I fell off the wagon! I blame the friend who gave me the marshmallow Easter egg that was my undoing in 2015. haha
I FINALLY was able to sit down and read SAM after all these months.
Please forgive this lethargic, old, Texan soul. It was a charming, delightful, touching visit with not only a new author (to me) but a new land and culture populated by real humans with all our individual quirks and varying rates of development and acceptance. Such wonderful and caring people!
Please keep up the good work.
I WILL purchase a hardcover as soon as I can. The ebook was OK as a 1st read but I will want to re-visit it periodically. I am only 71, so I should have many more reads coming up.
Sincerely yours,
Charly Castle
8401 Treehouse Lane
Austin, Texas 78749
Chas_K_Castle@yahoo.com
Hi Charles! Thank you so much for messaging me. And thank you for buying and reading SAM! I appreciate the support very much. I’m really pleased you enjoyed it 🙂 I’ve had a month or so break from my current book and am now feeling refreshed to start working on it again. Realistically, it won’t be finished before the second half of 2018, but I will keep you posted on its progress. All the best, and very kind regards, Luke.