Happy New Year! Is it too late to send those wishes, now that we’re already nearly halfway through January? Meh, if you’re reading this, I wish you all the best in health and happiness this year, even if that makes me just a little bit more uncool.
I’ve got big hopes and big plans for 2025, but first, for my own records as much as to share, I thought I’d blog up a blog for my blog about some of the things that happened to me in 2024.
What I did in 2024
If you heard that subtitle being said by the voice in my head, then it had a definite “What I Did on my Summer Vacation” tone to it.
Last year was a major year for me in terms of growth on both a personal and professional level. I went through some huge life changes in 2023. As is the case with any change, it was very hard. I took on challenges that I’d once believed – as recently as early 2023, in fact – were not survivable for me. I came out a very different person on the other side. One who is much stronger. One with some pride, and the ability to give myself the permission to feel that pride.
Right, but this blog I’m blogging is meant to be more of a record than a diary entry full of deep thoughts (ewww thinking too hard!), so let’s move forward with this looking backward thing.
Professional stuff
I started this year thinking I knew where my career was headed. That said, in March, I was hired by an agency I deeply respect. Since then, I have crammed a fantastic amount of new knowledge into my brain. I’m still learning and still loving it. It’s challenging, certainly, but it has given me opportunities to push myself, to challenge myself, and to use my growth from the year before (and my professional experience from a couple of decades or so in the industry) to do my part in creating truly great work.
I can only hope that the universe has plans for me to stay where I am for a good happy while. Aside from the usual – health, peace, and the health and happiness of family and friends – this is my biggest wish for 2025.
Author stuff
Last year was so much fun for me as an author! I wrote and wrote and wrote. I attended stuff. I spoke at stuff. I loved it!
Two new books
You wouldn’t know it by the state of this poor, neglected website (which I promise to update soon after blogging this blog), but I launched two new books in 2024.
Legends of Qarradune: Out-of-This-World Tales, Myths & Folk Tales is the latest addition to the Perspective book series I co-author with Amanda Giasson. This is a supporting book for the series in the form of a short story anthology. The stories are tales, myths, and folk stories from the various countries that comprise Qarradune, the fantasy world where the Perspective series takes place.
The other book that launched in 2024 is technically a re-release of a story I’d once published exclusively as an ebook, years ago. It’s a children’s book called Finding Manda’s Sunshine. There were a few changes I’d always wanted to make to the wording, and Amanda did a wonderful job of re-illustrating it, as the original version didn’t have enough pictures to suit the text. She did such a beautiful job! This story about stepping into a gorgeous fairy realm to learn that even the gloomiest winter day can be bright and happy is perfectly captured by Amanda’s drawings. While she drew every evening, I read her Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir over the phone.
Events
I was very lucky to be able to attend four events with Amanda in 2024. We were at the Innisfil IdeaLab’s first annual ComicFEST, at which I cosplayed as Aésha Stargrace, in her uniform from book 2 of the Perspective series, Second Wind, and met lots of fantastic new readers. It was a great success and so much fun!
We were invited back to BPL Comic Fest last year, as well. We’ve haven’t missed a single one since 2018, including the virtual event during the worst of the pandemic. I dressed as Aésha again, but this time in the masquerade ball gown she wore in book 1, Love at First Plight. It was a big year for cosplaying Aésha, especially since I’ve never dressed as her before! It’s fun pretending to be that confident. Again, another hugely successful event. I think this was the best one we’ve ever had, both in terms of book sales and meeting readers who returned to see us after having met us at previous events. I was supercharged from the energy at this event for days afterward.
The Barrie Christmas Book Market was our next event. No cosplaying this time, so I went dressed as me. It was a fun market and felt amazing when our readers came specifically to see us! My cheeks were hurting from smiling so much!
The last event we attended in 2024 was the Barrie Public Library’s Local Author Book Market. This was the third time we were invited to this annual event, and we were thrilled to take part. It was an added bonus to be able to do a Lightning Talk about how fun it is to be co-authors and best friends.
Sparkles from An Ogre Ate My Sparkles
At the BPL Comic Fest in September, I was approached by someone I’d met the year before at the same event. She took the time to tell me that there is a local area school using An Ogre Ate My Sparkles in their kindergarten classes. In classic me fashion, I cried. I couldn’t help it. It was so touching to think that kindergarteners are learning about emotions through the book I so lovingly wrote with my sister, Laura Campbell. Even now, thinking about it makes my heart feel full.
Personal stuff
After the hard year in 2023, I decided not to take my good fortune for granted. I took my life by the reins, because I wasn’t going to miss the opportunities in front of me. I know how fast the bottom can fall out of things. Since that feeling is still fresh enough to keep me perpetually on edge – and chock full of insomnia – I was and still am determined to live life while I can.
Do-gooding
I was happy to be able to keep up my do-gooding this year. It’s very important to me to use my time this way. Since Fresh Food Weekly shut down its food boxes in 2023, I was unable to continue volunteering to pack boxes there. I’m still on the lookout for a new place to volunteer that fits with my schedule. That said, I was still able to take part in the following events:
- The Project for Awesome, in support of Save the Children and Partners in Health (through the Foundation to Decrease World Suck)
- The Walk for Alzheimers, in support of the Alzheimer Society of Simcoe County
- Esther Day, in support of This Star Won’t Go Out
- The Terry Fox Run, in support of the Terry Fox Foundation
I’m also proud to say that I donated blood for the first time at Canadian Blood Services, and I did it 3 times last year. My fastest bleed time was 4 minutes, so I’ll need to find a new record to try to break when I give blood this year. I just don’t think I can bleed faster than that!
Health and Wellness
In 2024, I managed to break the threshold of over 1000 consecutive days of meditation. I didn’t miss a single day, and learned a lot about what meditation does (and does not do) to support my mental health.
I also joined a gym for the first time in my life. Though I was tremendously physically active in 2023, my new job requires me to be seated at a desk all day long (no complaints about that!). While I still walk every day, I realized that I need more than that for both my mental and physical health. So, despite many qualms and definite anxiety, I’ve joined a local gym and am becoming quite familiar with my routine there, including knowing which one is my favourite elliptical machine.
Miscellaneous
Here’s a bunch of additional stuff I did that I found noteworthy and want to remember.
- Went skydiving for the first time – tandem jumped from 10,200 feet! I’m already writing a full blog post about my experience. It was wonderful, but I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the typical jump!
- Built a functioning player piano music box
- Kept lots of friends that I made during my difficult 2023, and managed to stay social, going to coffees, lunches, and other stuff that lets me play with others. As someone with a social anxiety and panic disorder that has been pretty extreme, this feels like a massive accomplishment, and I love it
- Created a “world” with plants in a sealed jar. I planted it on October 5, and it’s still alive!
- Planted and maintained 2 container veggie gardens out of repurposed laundry tubs – one garden on my balcony, one that I maintain in my parents’ backyard
- Went on a several-day visit at my sister’s place, spending time with her and her two massive Saint Bernards
- Went to a Renaissance Fair with my mother
- Went to Kempenfest with Amanda
- Went to the Barrie Air Show with my parents
- Went to the Barrie Fair (Agricultural) with my mother
- Visited Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons and Discovery Harbour with a friend
- Visited Safari Niagara and the Butterfly Conservatory with Laura
- Bottle fed a tiny runt piglet (hi Fannie!) at my friend Lisa’s farm
- Broke the bracelet I’d been wearing for 32 years, and was very brave about it
- Said goodbye to my beloved 2007 Pontiac G5 named James, who took very good care of me. He was donated to Kidney Car, where I’m pretty sure he was sent to a farm with big fields so he could run around with all the other retired cars. I’m confident that he’s made lots of friends
- Bought my very first brand new car, Ambrosius (named after the character in Labyrinth)
- Celebrated the first birthday of my favourite Little Free Library, Magnolia, with Amanda and the library’s stewards.
- Went ice skating with a friend for the first time in about 25 years (and didn’t fall down!)
Full steam ahead!
I’m looking forward to digging into new things in 2025. Amanda and I are already well into Book 5 of the Perspective series, and I’ll be giving blood and attending this year’s Project for Awesome in February. I’ve already earned a new professional certification and plan to continue my education to keep myself sharp on the job. I also received an even flashier “certification”, when I finally learned how to use a snow blower. My parents presented me with a hilarious “Certificate of Certification” for that accomplishment. I still plan to spend a lot more time with friends, to participate in more do-gooding, attend more events, and try more new things.
I hope your view of this year is as hopeful as mine, and that we can keep it up throughout. 💜
Julie B. Campbell 