It’s two days before Christmas, the fifth night of Hanukkah, and winter solstice has passed. The days are growing longer again! As we enjoy this season of celebration, I want to ask you: What have you done this year that you’re proud of? What happy accomplishments are you willing to share? What has gone well this year?
Happy News
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Mad Genius Club 
I published again! After missing last year!
The Other Princess
I just sent my Space Force story off to my beta reader. That made me happy!
Released the Merchant book that had been stalled for so long, got a few other projects done, had a very good vacation and brought home story fodder, and survived The Massive Concert.
Got a book out, and a couple of anthologies up to benefit our local library!
I need to figure out how to do something instead of intending to do something.
A couple books, a couple anthologies and my picture in the paper for a presentation I did at the local library. My dad got to see and comprehend the story before he passed away in February. All things worth being proud of.
I got my poetry book out, and I’m actually making progress, albeit slow) on editing two books. And I’ve managed 16 weeks of a short story a week.
Not writing, but randomized eight 4 ounce braids of wool and wool blend fiber, spun up two batches of multicolored yarn, plied it and wove a shawl with it. Then won first place in the, “handspun wearable item,” at the Southeastern Animal Fiber Festival.
Congratulations! That’s wonderful. 😀
Pictures?
I’ve published two books and got a short story published in one of OldNFO’s anthologies. I also got to meet a lot of really great people at FenCon, including many of the Mad Genii.
Not necessarily accomplishments, but this year was a lot of travel and actually getting to meet folks I’d been talking to for a while. Helping my Bugbear recover and preparing for military retirement. And hey, my stretch goal of 250K words? Done, or close enough to it. I got the 50K for Nano in November. I finished a story, which for me is quite the acomplishment.
Finished up and published a bunch of stuff this year. Stuck with the physical therapy and really helped the knees.
This year? I had some fairly brutal health issues – When what should be a 3 day hospital stay turns into 5 months of trying to restore my lungs’ capacity to breath , and your wife has to have a lunpectomy, I think qualifies. The good news? Lots of relatives,, friends, congregants, colleagues, etc . stepped up to help, and we were smart enough to let them. In the last few weeks, Michele’s pathology reports all came back negatives, and my lungs are healed enough to let me return to work. On a positive note, my company found me a position making good use of my skills and experience, and even during the worst of it, I was able to mentor several colleagues.
So a lot of crap came my way. It’s all in the rear view mirror, I am still here, life is good, I am surrounded. by family and friends, and ready for what 2023 is going to throw at me. Blessed art thou, O Lord Our God, Creator of all, Who has brought me to this occasion.
I also did a story for OldNFO’s anthology. Finished off a huge ghostwriting project, which absorbed a large chunk of inspiration and energy. Supported my daughter in her efforts to be a prosperous real estate agent, and baby-sat Wee Jamie, the Wonder Grandson, while she worked at all this. I did manage to finish another volume of the Luna City chronicles. Am half-done with the next Lone Star Sons volume, and will be able to pick up the half-done Civil War novel.
Oh, and my credit rating is now 747, which is not bad, since it was … well, pretty awful, ten years before. In two years and a bit, I will have the mortgage on my house totally paid off.
I have a book event sometime in February, in a small town in the Hill Country which has become one of the greatest concentrations of wealthy yuppie a-holes in Texas outside of Austin.
It’s been a tough year, physically, but I FINALLY finished “The Prodigals.” Now doing editing and getting covers. I’ve received the rights back for “The Marshals” and as soon as I get a new cover, it’ll be republished on the ‘Zon.
I got one book finished, and one short story written (it’ll be published in an anthology next year). The rest of the year has been spent on a project I started last year: the story that won’t stay abandoned. G-d willing, I’ll finish it next year.
On the personal front, we got a lot of renovation to the house done, and on the physical front, I put on 14 pounds of muscle. So getting better, slowly.
I got a book done. Only six years after the last one… ! And for brief moments I was the #1 New Release in Medieval Literature … because the category is so small that every time someone bought one (1) book I became #1 again for a day. Lol.
And messed up friendships from twenty years ago seems to be straightening out.
I just sold a story that will put me in an anthology with Sarah Hoyt and LawDog. Earlier this year, I got to hike the Hadrian’s Wall Path from east to west.
Come January, it will be back to classes, so I will not have much time to write fiction for a while. This was a great way to end the year and my leave of absence from grad school.
There is a lot I could list, but it’s been nice to get back into writing and completing a couple short stories has been fun. I also finished a poem that’s been lurking in my back brain for almost 25 years.
On the writing front, I’m posting here at MGC, and couldn’t be happier about it.
Re: professional work… Finally doing the worldbuilding revisions for my new series and finished the outline/sketch of book 3 so I can start writing it (the original notes go back to my chemo period of 3 years ago, when all I could do was write snippets down on a piece of paper and cover my laptop with notes to the tune of a full outline…)
And on the personal front, I’ve lost 60 lbs since chemo — the first time I’ve ever gotten my weight under control — and am zeroing in on the finish line (after holiday setbacks). I haven’t been this healthy and fit in decades. [I’ve thrown out all my old clothes, so I’ve burnt my bridges. Wish me luck…]
I spent the last two weeks of my father’s life at his bedside, helping my mother.
I finally published “The Vanished Pearls of Orlov”.
I’m almost done with two other big books (one fiction and one nonfiction) that have been taking forever. Spring of 2023!
Published another children’s learning book; Finding Colors with Fuzzy Friends under my pen name. Was teacher’s aide on a couple of Art courses. Finally got all my various boxes and last furniture pieces out of storage in another state and into my garage.