Spectacular Wrecks and New Beginnings: Reflecting on 2023 and the Road Ahead in 2024
💫🌟 Greetings All🌟💫
As a first-rate cynic with a penchant for the whimsical, I’ve always found the past to be a delightful mixtape of absurdities and epiphanies, with a sprinkle of “I told you so.” And as 2023 waves its final goodbye with the grace of an exhausted party-goer, I can’t help but tip my hat to a year that was both a hoot and a half, and a test in tenacity.
Take, for instance, that little soiree known as ComicCon in July. The glittering mass of humanity, all crammed together in their finery, was a sight to behold – a true smorgasbord of the fantastical and the fanatical. I, in my infinite wisdom, managed to find the one corner not brimming with spandex and capes, but with books and the brave souls who write them. If you’d like to relive that halcyon event with me, here’s the link to the panel I did with fellow Weird West authors KC Grifant, John Palisano, Jonathan Fesmire, Jonathan Mayberry, Richard Carter, and Ross Fisher-Davis.
In June, guided by the profound bike nerdship mantra, “the correct number of bikes is n+1,” I nabbed myself a brand spanking new gravel bike, the Canyon Grizl. I’ve since been putting it through its paces – and by that, I mean I’ve taken a couple of tumbles that would make a stunt double blush. But fear not, I’m still pedaling and have since discovered that brakes are not just decorative after all, and I intend to become better acquainted with them.
The great outdoors beckoned my hubby and me, and we answered its call, first to the San Jacinto Mountains and then to the High Sierras and lastly to the Cascades. There, we found solace in the thin air and the majesty of nature – and yes, perhaps a bit of that Rocky (Sierra, San Jacinto, Cascades) Mountain High. I love the mountains, which never fails to refresh my spirits the way Father Whitman described.
In the realm of pen and paper, I managed to conjure up and publish two stories into the wild: Fae Planes Drifter in August, and The Problem with Plaid in November.
Surprisingly, this year I succumbed to the siren call of the television series, “Stranger Things.” Four years after my stepson first told me how awesome it is, I finally plunged headfirst – emerging a fanatic! Season 5 looms on the horizon, and I’m practically vibrating with anticipation.
My literary diet was rich this year with T. Kingfisher’s Nettle and Bone, a book so sweetly horrific and delightful that it demanded a second read, Yuval Noah Harari’s thought-provoking and highly engaging Sapiens, and The Skeptics Guide to the Universe by Steven Novella. I’ve been an avid watcher of Skepchick Rebecca Watson on YouTube for some time, so Novella’s book was a natural extension of my, dare I call it, tasteful curiosity.
Speaking of YouTube, I found myself riveted to Climate Town, with the host Rollie Williams, who manages to make the potential end of the world (at least for us sentient, bipedal meat sacks) laugh-out-loud funny.
In cinemas, Dungeons and Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and The Last Voyage of the Demeter stole my horror-and-fantasy-lovin’ heart.
As for the less stellar moments of 2023, I’ll let them rest in peace – or pieces, as some of them deserve.
Looking to the bright horizon of 2024, I’ve decided to take a slight detour on my writing journey. I’ll be wrapping up the Otherworld Outlaws series with a fifth installment – but don’t think of it as an end, rather a brief interlude (wink-wink, nudge-nudge).
The siren call of my motherland of Oregon beckons, and with it comes the Herculean task of moving. Amid the boxes and planning, writing will take a backseat, but like a bad habit, it will never be fully kicked.
Also, as is probably clear, I do love a good monster and I’m seriously considering writing a book in my favorite movie genre: Sci-fi Horror. I’ve watched Pandorum, Terminator, Aliens, Event Horizon, Underwater and others more times than I should probably admit, and the genre calls to my lizard brain like no other. It would be lovely to step back into a genre adjacent to my original published series, Spectras Arise, too. And having grown up reading Stephen King’s canon, it’s probably time I pay homage to the master who inspired me to be a writer in the first place in my own twisted, monstrous way.
Before I bid you adieu, don’t forget to snatch the Otherworld Outlaws Bundle and the Shackled Verities Collection at their current sale price – they’re set to rise faster than my aspirations for the new year on January 7. ⬇️
So, dear readers, as we step into the unwritten pages of 2024, let’s do so with the optimism of a writer facing a blank page. May your year be filled with unexpected joys, the thrill of adventure, and, if you’re anything like me, the occasional spectacular wreck – all in the name of good fun.
OUCH! Sister-in-law was out biking with my sister and my sister lost track of her as she was in lead. Apparently she miscalculated a decline and ended up concussed and broken arms. Sister nursed her back to health over many months and they are back on their bikes. Good thing for your helmet!!!! Never ride alone. Stay safe.