Before I tell you what it is, let me catch you up with what’s happened over the last month.

Between writing some essays on self-publishing and working on my story bible, I’ve banished most of the fog. I still have to deal with the normal ADHD brain weasels, but they’re not hiding in the left over mists of chemo and radiation.

I still have no spit and little by way of strength or physical stamina. Luckily it doesn’t take much to sit and type. Which I’ve been doing a lot.

Status

Every time I try to get back into Ishmael’s story line, I trip on something I need to know and waste time looking for it. I got tired of it and started writing the story bible for Ishmael’s universe. I finished up through Owner’s Share yesterday and will move on to the Seeker’s Tales today. My goal: Finish with By Darkness Forged by the 14th.

But I’m only going to work on back-filling for an hour or so a day. I need to get the new books loaded, too, so I know where all the moving parts. The next three books aren’t exactly self-contained, hence my drive to finish the backstory parts of the bible, but there’s enough to keep me busy just loading up names, places, dates, and key points.

I hope the work will pay off with a streamlined and clean second draft for the first book by the end of February with book two and three falling in March and April. I’ll be looking for betas and I need to see if my editor has any time available, but that’s a future-me problem.

What Am I Reading?

With all the writing and organizational stuff I’ve been doing, my reading has slacked off to a couple of books a week. Almost all my current sample pile comes from my Mastodon friends, so expect to see a lot of new names over the next year.

Today I’m finishing up book 2 of Kat Ross’s Nightmarked series. It’s a bit dark, but the richness of the setting makes up for it. A new-to-me magic system that develops – even for the characters – as the story goes on. A whole world full of people, some good, some evil, some just chaotic. All very real, even those that aren’t.

Ross hooked me on book 1. I’m just holding on for the ride at this point and it’s so totally worth it.

But don’t take my word for it. You know what to do.

Notes in the Margin:

A lot of people have asked about my favorite books from the last year. Of the 248 or so, my answer changes by the hour and day. As a partial answer, I downloaded my entire reading list for the year, sorted it into alphabetical order by author, and formatted it for you. The series and volume sort didn’t work the way I wanted but feel free to peruse it. Some of them are better than others, but every one of them passed the “sample first” test and held my attention to the end.

If you want to more about the books I’m reading this year, I also started a book review account. As I finish them, I’ll toss them in there for anybody to read. See what I’ve finished reading at The Unseen City. They won’t all be SF/F but I don’t review books I didn’t like. I reviewed City of Storms a few days ago.

Looking Ahead

I have another PET scan coming up this month. Six months after the completion of treatment. We’re not expecting to find anything too exciting. Fingers crossed for no surprises.

Oh, the Word of the Year thing?

I heard about this idea from Darusha Wehm who got it from C L Polk. Instead of having a list of resolutions that get forgotten by next weekend, we’ve picked focus words to guide our work in the coming year. The concept of having one word appealed to me – and kept me busy trying to think of the work I want to do in 2023.

Not just the writing work, although there’s plenty of that. I wanted a word that covered my recovery and establishing a new normal going forward now that all of my structures and habits have burned to the ground. I want to do more than rebuild the “before” times. Something for body, mind, and spirit.

I chose: Juggle.

It’s physical, requiring the use of the body. After last year, I have a lot of work to do to rebuild my strength and stamina.

It’s mental, requiring concentration and focus. Things I need support structures to manage.

It’s also spirit, requiring a meditation-like state of being in the moment as each one comes and goes. I want to be deliberate in my actions going forward.

It recognizes “drop,” “pickup,” and “try again” as valid – even necessary – ideas.

It’s also movement, the opposite of static.

So yeah. I’m liking Juggle. 

Until next month, safe voyage.

The old Johnny Nash lyric keeps running through my head. “I can see clearly now. The rain has gone.” It might not be quite as clear as before, but compared to October I’ve got a lot more focus.

I’ve been writing again. Only a couple of hours a day, but I’m making progress.

Two factors drive this progress: I set up an account on Mastodon to talk about writing and I’m making progress in my favorite game – Ark Survival Evolved. Between the two, they’re helping clear away the fog, providing me with focus, and making me feel like I’m finally making progress.

Status

I’ve moved the various Ishmael files onto my main writing computer where I can get at them easily. I really like the way things are developing with the new through-line. It’s still a little choppy and slow going but it’ll smooth out as I make more progress on the new beginning.

Wizard’s Cat is still on hold.

What Am I Reading?

For starters, I’m not reading forty books a month any more. This month has seen a lot of samples that didn’t make the grade. Not that they were bad books. Just not the books I wanted to invest time in.

A couple of standouts: Aestus by S Z Attwell captured my attention for the superb world building and wonderful characters. The Mechanics of Magic by W B J Martin breathed some fresh air into the “hidden prince” trope. Both are great starts to what look like fun series.

Mjke Wood’s Deep Space Accountant got its hooks in me early in the month and I haven’t been able to let it go. Lots of fun reading that set up the series. I’m looking forward to getting into the Sphere of Influence series once I clear away the 25 new samples I have waiting for my attention.

Mostly it’s a comedy of errors with a nice helping of derring-do, out of the box thinking, and a main character I couldn’t help rooting for.

Maybe grab a sample and see what you think.

Looking Forward

The ENT and GI people have cleared me. The anomalous readings from the PET scan have been checked out and found to be nothing. I’ve been eating solid food for the past few weeks and enjoyed a full turkey dinner on Thanksgiving. Small but some of everything. I even cooked the feast myself.

I’ve a lot to be thankful for.

At the moment, I seem to have dodged a bullet with cancer. My family continues to fill in the blanks for me when I can’t do something, although those blanks have become fewer and farther between lately.

I am most thankful for you – the fans – who’ve been patient and understanding for the past few months as I’ve had to deal with everything. Your continuing support means the world to me.

Until next month, safe voyage.

My PET scan showed no signs of continuing (or new) disease. I won’t need a round two of treatments.

I still have a lot of recovery to get through – eating normally, getting some muscle built back, and regaining my momentum. I still have a few rounds of specialist visits in my future, but I’m definitely on the mend.

Status

I’ve started hashing through the beginning of the first new Ishmael book. The basic bones of the story are there. It just needs a through-line to bring it all together. I think I’ve found it. Fingers crossed.

Wizard’s Cat? Yeah. Still no idea. I don’t think it’ll be my NaNoWriMo project this year. I’m not ready to do NaNo yet.

What Am I Reading?

Not as much as I had been, that’s for sure. I’m at 228 titles for the year but I didn’t break any records last month. Of course, I didn’t spend whole days just napping and reading, either. Progress but I digress.

I got back into space opera again this month after trying a few samples. Quite a few actually. Some low-stakes litRPG and a few off the wall suggestions from various fans. Some interesting stuff, but the one that caught my eye was Andrew van Ardvark’s Katie Kincaid series. I’m three books in and enjoying it immensely.

Katie’s a bit precocious, reminds me a bit of Lee Anderson in Mackey Chandler’s Family Law series. Or April from his April series for that matter. She’s a trouble magnet and has to cope with being an outsider in everything she does.

Puts me in mind of young Ishmael, now that I think of it. More action in van Ardvark’s books but still that “coming of age” feel across the first three volumes (which is as far as I’ve gotten).

But don’t take my word for it. Grab a sample and see what you think.

Looking Forward

With the last of the diagnostics showing good news, I feel like I can actually breathe again. I’m not looking forward to the extra prodding from the ENT and GI specialists but it needs to be done.

I am looking forward to eating more normal food and getting back into writing. My brain is simmering on the Ishmael story and the cat is lurking around here somewhere. When I get enough focus, I suspect I’ll be stuck in good.

And I’m here for that.

Until next month, safe voyage.