Thursday, January 23, 2014

Go away, January!

 
I must confess, I've always considered January as something to be endured. More and more I find myself imagining it’s almost over, always thinking ten days ahead of myself. I have to admit, this winter we’ve been very lucky that it hasn’t been very cold or snowy. All the weather went east again and Idaho has been blessed with some very fine days, which has made January all the more bearable. It’s just that some mornings when the frost is thick and the fog is thicker, I think “Uhg! Will this month ever be over??” The cold and the dark sap my energy and it takes all that I have to keep going. Thankfully, we’re almost there. February can be a hard month to get through too, but at least it’s short.
 
I’ve been reading a lot, which is good since I rarely get time to do that. I’ve read The Asylum, a gothic novel without any paranormal elements, and I’m finishing Clockwork Angel, which is WAY far on the other end of the paranormal scale (maybe too much?). It’s entertaining, but I was a little disappointed to see vampires appear in the story. I had started City of Bones by the same author, but I’ve enjoyed Clockwork Angel better, probably due to the historical, steam punkish setting more than anything. The two plots don’t seem all that different to me. I’ve been tinkering around with a steampunk idea of my own, but I need to read some more of it before I tackle that project.
 
 
 
I’ve also been editing a manuscript here and there, my own paranormal ghost tale. It’s been fun and I’m finally getting it fleshed out. It’s always been too short to satisfy a reader and I’ve stumbled a few times over how to improve it. Honestly, it takes me forever to finish a manuscript! This one was started in 2010 or 2011? Geesh. However, I do feel like I’ve worked out some kinks and devised a better way to finish novels. The next one will be quicker, promise!  This novel, when it’s ready, will be presented to Month9Books, who has an option on my next work of speculative fiction. I hope they like it. J
 
Starting in March, I should have edits back from Month9Books on Vessel, my dystopian/scifi manuscript. I’m excited to jump back into that world and get that manuscript ready for publication. I’ve been kicking around potential ideas for a fun sequel, but it’s all contingent on Vessel doing well in the marketplace. I’ve got my fingers crossed and will be working hard on making that happen in 2015.
 
For now, I'm trying to find things to keep myself busy until January goes away. How do you cope with winter??

2 comments:

  1. I bet Oregon has worse fog and general ickiness than Idaho! The best thing about January is the obvious lengthening of days--it's light out now when I go home from work, which means summer is on its way. Woo-hoo! Looking forward to reading Vessel!

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  2. Thanks for the much needed perspective! Oregon is indeed much foggier and I really feel for you. How do you do it??

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