
How did it get to be almost the middle of November? For such a spectacularly crappy year, it sure has flown by. In another couple of weeks, I’ll be dragging all the Christmas stuff out of the attic and beginning my decorating marathon. Time flies.
So here we find ourselves, almost to Christmas and in the throes of Nanowrimo once again. More than Christmas, I think Nano marks the closing of the year for me. It’s the last big chance to get a lot of work done before the holiday obligations kick up and publishers and editors shut down for the season. Once Nano is over, I kind of coast to the end of the year, doing only enough to keep the fires burning and the bills paid.
Another year almost gone. I don’t know whether to be happy or sad. Or a bit of both. (Yes, I always get a bit maudlin this time of year. I think it’s the lack of light.)
What I do know is that, in spite of it all, I have another book almost finished. (Who knows if it will ever see the light of day. I have no idea whether my current publisher or any other will ever want it.) But the fact that, even in the middle of this septic tank of a year I’ve managed to turn out two books is no small miracle. That’s surely something to be happy about, right?
The Reading List
A Secret History of Witches, by Louisa Morgan. Magic, almost forgotten, is kept alive by a family of women from one generation to the next. They use it to help themselves and the world around them, but always lurks the possibility of discovery and retribution. The book follows several of these women across time and tells of their personal struggles.
The Rooster Bar, by John Grisham. Legal thriller. John Grisham. ‘Nuff said. Well, not really. This one tackles the problems of crushing student loan debt, for-profit law schools, and shady banks. The trifecta of financial misery-inducing bad guys. A group of law students sets out to try and turn things around by exposing the bank. Will they succeed or are they merely crazy for trying.