Well, here it is New Year's Eve again, and time to reflect on the memorable things that happened in my little sphere of existence during 2018.
Professionally, it was a banner year. I had two new books released (or all three out of my three published novels if I squish in my Dec, 2017 re-release of my debut novel, A Borrowed Hell, by its new publisher). In March I learned that A Borrowed Hell was listed as a Colorado Humanities and Center for the Book finalist for the Colorado Book Awards. I also found out that month that I was accepted to the juried master writing class, Taos Toolbox. In April I was a faculty presenter at Pikes Peak Writers Conference, where I had a wonderful three days seeing friends, meeting new folks, teaching two workshops, and a co-moderating a short story roundtable. I believe it was sometime in May that I finally completed my final draft of my newest book and the hardest book I've written to date! In early June, A Borrowed Hell was chosen as the winner of the Colorado Book Award for the Science Fiction/Fantasy category for 2018. The last half of June was spent attending the Taos Toolbox 2-week residency workshop in beautiful Angel Fire, NM where I learned from instructors Walter Jon Williams and Nancy Kress, and guest instructors, George R. R. Martin(!), Carrie Vaughn, and Emily Mah Tippetts. Late July saw the release of my epic fantasy, The Halfblood War - the first book I ever wrote, and September was the release of a book I feel most represents where my writing is now and where it's going, While Gods Sleep.
Professionally, it was a banner year. I had two new books released (or all three out of my three published novels if I squish in my Dec, 2017 re-release of my debut novel, A Borrowed Hell, by its new publisher). In March I learned that A Borrowed Hell was listed as a Colorado Humanities and Center for the Book finalist for the Colorado Book Awards. I also found out that month that I was accepted to the juried master writing class, Taos Toolbox. In April I was a faculty presenter at Pikes Peak Writers Conference, where I had a wonderful three days seeing friends, meeting new folks, teaching two workshops, and a co-moderating a short story roundtable. I believe it was sometime in May that I finally completed my final draft of my newest book and the hardest book I've written to date! In early June, A Borrowed Hell was chosen as the winner of the Colorado Book Award for the Science Fiction/Fantasy category for 2018. The last half of June was spent attending the Taos Toolbox 2-week residency workshop in beautiful Angel Fire, NM where I learned from instructors Walter Jon Williams and Nancy Kress, and guest instructors, George R. R. Martin(!), Carrie Vaughn, and Emily Mah Tippetts. Late July saw the release of my epic fantasy, The Halfblood War - the first book I ever wrote, and September was the release of a book I feel most represents where my writing is now and where it's going, While Gods Sleep.
There were a few personal milestones over the year as well: my mother, a WWII veteran of the British Army, turned a very healthy 100-years-old in February (and she's still doing well as I write this). We made it through one of the worst Colorado droughts in recent history (where I learned there is a stage beyond extreme drought called "exceptional drought") and through one of the worst fires in Colorado recorded fire history that burned way too close to home and affected people we knew. Hubby and I didn't make our trip to WorldCon San Jose as planned, but he also survived - with no lasting injury - the chlorine gas inhalation that happened the day before we were supposed to leave. In Sept, I finally made the leap to a plant-based diet with very limited processed foods (plus backyard eggs and sometimes fish for now) and can feel the health effects and see the hoped-for weight loss well under way - yay. After losing two beloved animals in 2017 (our 20-year-old horse to founder and our 10-year-old dog to a fast-moving cancer), the search for a new dog is getting closer to fulfillment and the search for a gaited horse to be a companion to our Tennessee Walker came to an end. In December, just in time for Christmas, we got our paint Fox Trotter, Indigo, through a local horse rescue. All in all, a really great year with so much to be thankful for!
On the reading front, I read 41 books this year according to Goodreads, plus a few beta and ARC books that didn't count as they're not yet released. Here's the summary, with my recommended, blew my mind, 5-star favorites highlighted below (though many more of these books were very enjoyable reads as well).
Here's wishing everyone health, happiness, and good reading in 2019!
Strange the Dreamer, Kraken (again), An Unkindness of Magicians, The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion, Spoonbenders, Flashforward, The Fifth Doll, The Land of Laughs, Paradox Bound, The Black Tides of Heaven, The City of Lost Fortunes, From the Teeth of Angels, Space Unicorn Blues, Nova, Never Let Me Go, Welcome to the Monkey House, The Stars My Destination, Collected Fictions, Casino Royale, The Library at Mount Char, Good Omens, Level Five, Bigfoot Loose and Finn Fancy Free, The Golem and the Jinni, Sandman Slim, Finding Ultra, Voice of the Whirlwind, Circe, Walking Through Fire, Alternate Routes, The Quantum Magician, North, Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr, The Changeling, Integration: Ghost Marines, Alice Payne Arrives, The Riddle Master of Hed, The Heir of Sea and Fire, Harpist in the Wind (again for the entire set).
Here's wishing everyone health, happiness, and good reading in 2019!
Strange the Dreamer, Kraken (again), An Unkindness of Magicians, The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion, Spoonbenders, Flashforward, The Fifth Doll, The Land of Laughs, Paradox Bound, The Black Tides of Heaven, The City of Lost Fortunes, From the Teeth of Angels, Space Unicorn Blues, Nova, Never Let Me Go, Welcome to the Monkey House, The Stars My Destination, Collected Fictions, Casino Royale, The Library at Mount Char, Good Omens, Level Five, Bigfoot Loose and Finn Fancy Free, The Golem and the Jinni, Sandman Slim, Finding Ultra, Voice of the Whirlwind, Circe, Walking Through Fire, Alternate Routes, The Quantum Magician, North, Ka: Dar Oakley in the Ruin of Ymr, The Changeling, Integration: Ghost Marines, Alice Payne Arrives, The Riddle Master of Hed, The Heir of Sea and Fire, Harpist in the Wind (again for the entire set).
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