Hi ,

As this is my first newsletter of 2024 - Happy New Year!

I don't know about you, but I'm not really one for making New Year's Resolutions. Instead, I set myself a target for something and aim for that. I've also found that just making small changes works better than one large change - and those small changes add up over time.

Having said that, I am making some changes to this newsletter - starting with this issue. We will still have some free book giveaways, but instead of having those every month, some months I will be recommending either one or two free books that I've really enjoyed by other authors. (Full disclosure - they will be recommending my books to their newsletter readers too.) I want to reassure you that I will only recommend books that I have read, enjoyed, and think that you will enjoy too.

In Behind the Scenes this month, I'm asking for your help, please - do you remember the book I'm describing? I can't find it anywhere.

If you're getting this newsletter for the first time, thank you for joining me. I send a newsletter around the middle of each month and in this issue you'll find:

• Recommended Free Books - two for you to start the New Year!
  
• Behind the Scenes
  
• January's Win an eReader competition 
• Your Subscriber Freebies - and if you've read Strand of Faith, drop me a line and let me know what you thought.

18th January is Winnie-The-Pooh day - based on A. A. Milne's birthday. I'm an avid Winnie-The-Pooh fan and I have several different editions, including one that belonged to my father when he was a child. And I've been enjoying Winnie-The-Pooh lego - lego building being another hobby that I was introduced to by my father!

But I've also been thinking about other children's books and there's one that I can remember reading, but I can't remember enough to find the book again and I'm hoping you can help me. It's about a group of ponies, when their riding school closes, and they each go on to have different careers elsewhere. I can remember a couple of pony names - Mischief and Skylark - and a couple of careers - professor and astronaut (yes, these ponies could talk...) - but nothing else. I think it must have been written in the 1960s.

If it rings any bells with you, please drop me a line and let me know. And if it doesn't, drop me an email anyway, and let me know your favourite childhood book.

Here's your chance to win a Kindle Fire Tablet, or a $60 voucher for the ebook retailer of your choice. The January competition is open, so enter now!

I'll be back next month - look out for a newsletter around the middle of the month.  In the meantime, take care, and happy reading.

If you're ready to move on to the rest of the Choices and Consequences series, grab them here.