Being a West coaster and an Islander, it's not often I get to experience a traditional Canadian winter. I had this opportunity with a quick four days in Ottawa where I spent the days in a conference, and the evenings enjoying the cold and snow. I missed the big freeze by a few days, but minus 15 was fine and an opportunity to play on the frozen Rideau Canal was well appreciated. I also had the opportunity to pause at the National War Memorial and the Tomb of the Unknown Solider - a truly humbling and solemn experience, as well as view the seat of Federal power in Canada, our Parliament Buildings. In general it was a pleasant time and gave me, as a writer, a few days away from the computer while also reminding myself, through experience, what the cold and snow was like. As an Islander, I can speak well to rain, wind, and mud, but since several of my books take place in snowy environments, I enjoyed the reminder of what those snowy environments were actually like. Cold, crisp, and hard work to live in. 

Happy New Year all! I type this missive bathing in the glory of my new office. Yes, boxes are still cluttering the floor and nameless items sit on my bookshelves blocking my library, but it is finished and it is mine. No more lamenting, whining, and excuse making...it's time to write. Looking back at my handful of blogs over the year, I can see that I did not meet many of my goals from last year, so I renew those goals for this year. My writing projects are many: publish The Scarlet Bastards - The Bone Witch (now sitting with my editor); begin the first edit of the draft of The Scarlet Bastards - The Rule of Nine (now underway); begin the first edit of the draft of Titan Rising; and prepare for NaNoWriMo by getting my contemporary fantasy, A Child at Play in the Trees, fully fleshed out. In between, I hope to look at my published books to see if some tinkering is warranted - I usually find something that I now don't like. The other part is marketing, a topic I'm always harping on as my most significant challenge as a writer. More social media, more blogs, more advertising, and hopefully some new novel covers. In the end, I'm aiming for a productive writing year and hopefully, an uptick in sales. Stayed tuned.