Happy New Year!

It's that day again -- New Year's Eve. Already people are making lists of things they want to do in 2013, the ways they want to change their lives for the better. The most common resolution, I think, is the one to lose weight. Probably because they've spent the last week to ten days eating cookies and pie and chocolate and all kinds of yummy treats. Me too, but I managed to not put on the pounds. Whew!

2012 wasn't a bad year for me. It was kind of an average, ordinary, not much happened year. It was better for some, like people who won the lottery, and worse for others, like people more affected by Hurricane Sandy. We were lucky to escape that unscathed, and I feel so bad for so many who lost so much. Overall we had a good year.

Looking back through this blog, I did a post about this time last year, and made some goals...

1. Hopefully Beautiful, Marvelous Agent Lady will sell Smoke & Mirrors to a great house and for a great deal. I have faith in her.

Haven't gotten there yet, but we're still working hard at it. There were a couple of bumps, a technical difficulty or two, and a hurricane that basically shut down the NYC publishing industry for weeks. 

2. Finish the Library of Athena series. One book left.

Yeah, I didn't even start this yet. More about that later.

3. Finish another Steampunk novel.

Nope. But I did start one, and got about a quarter of a first draft, and wrote an awesome Steampunk short story that I submitted and hope to have news on this year. That's something.

4. Write, write, write

Sigh...

5. Finish Grad School. By this time next year, I'll be done. Just two semesters to go.

This I did. Done. Finished. Absolutely no more classes left. Grades have been posted, just waiting to get the degree awarded. This has been three LONG years, and for about half the time, I was working full time too. At some point I decided that rather than make myself upset and frustrated trying to do it all (working, school, keeping up my exercise, my son's football season), that I would write all summer and then take a writing break during that last semester. So now I'm done. At first, I just sat back and enjoyed the fact that I could spend time doing what I wanted, though for awhile I felt guilty just sitting and watching TV, or sleeping in on a Sunday and not spending the whole day in the loft, with my face glued to the computer, writing academic papers. Took some getting used to, being finished.

6. Take the family camping at least once. We have a car that will make it, and Boy's never been camping. Which I find a terrible shame, since he's nine years old already.

Did this too. So...two out of six? Oh, and I joined the gym and started working out, which wasn't on the list, but I need a gimme.

I did get around to doing some other things I had been wanting to do for a long time, like breaking out and going to a different SF con, Balticon. I hope I get invited back, because it was a good time. I went to all the normal events I attend, and managed to get myself into one or two more, which has been a goal of mine for awhile, to get out and physically attend author events.

I DID release a new book -- The Sword of Danu. So that's something. Now that school is done, I am trying to get back into the writing groove, to leave my student self behind and rediscover my writer self, trying to find the inspiration to put down more words. The well has been a little dry, so it's been slow, but I'm getting there. Having a bunch of really great books given to me for Christmas has helped. Watching certain TV shows, believe it or not, helps too.

So, 2013. Now that it's almost here I need to make some goals, because I have let too many things go for too long. Here we go...

I have three books to finish. The current Steampunk novel, the final Library of Athena book, and a new edition of Return to Zandria. The last two are contracted already, so I need to get on it. Back into the saddle, girl! Look for the new edition of Talisman of Zandria in the coming year!!  What else..

* Keep working out. I've lost about 10-12 lbs and I want to lose at least another 10 by mid-year, but to keep up the exercise is really the goal. I feel good when I exercise.
* Seriously keep paying down my bills. I've come to the realization I will probably never be completely out of debt, but I can put a dent in it.
* Get back to writing at least 500 words a day.
* Blog more. I had something like 50 blogs last year. Less than one per week. I need to do better, because blogging goes along with ...
* Do more promotion. I've kind of let it slide lately with the school and work, and I need a new plan. Maybe some updates to my website. I want to be more 'present' on this blog and the others I'm involved it. I've not been as active as I should have been. I think we need some more contests and stuff.

*I'd say sselling Smoke & Mirrors is one of my goals, and it is, but really there's nothing I can do about it. It's in my capable agent's hands, an even more so in the hands of the editors she's given it to. So I can cross my fingers and hope that it sells this year -- I think it will.

What are you looking forward to in 2013? What kind of goals do you have?

New Years - That Drinking Holiday

New Years Eve used to be a time spent with family, feasting and celebrating a new year with a toast at midnight. Unfortunately, it seems to have become more of a "drinking holiday" for a lot of people. I read headlines that say police are gearing up for emphasis patrols to try to get drunk drivers off the roads.

I was curious as to why this holiday has become so alcohol saturated. I did a little research. It seems that the pagans liked to celebrate the old year's passing with feasts, sacrifices and abundant toasts to a variety of gods and deceased family members. If you had a big family, that could be a lot of toasts!

Fortunately for them, they weren't driving high-powered vehicles at high rates of speed. If they fell while walking, they might get a nice bruise or even a broken bone or two, but it wasn't likely that they would be reduced to bits.

Every year dozens of people die in alcohol related deaths on our highways. These numbers increase on New Years Eve. In one study, "90 people had died in alcohol-related traffic crashes in the 12-hour span between 6:00 p.m. on New Year’s Eve and 5:59 a.m. the next morning. Four weeks later, on the same night of the week, the death toll dropped dramatically to 20". In my opinion, 20 is still too many.

Every year, families have to start a new year with the death of a loved one - whether they are the person who had been drinking, or a victim of a person who had been drinking. I have to honestly say that New Years Eve terrifies me as a parent of three young people.

I am taking this opportunity to ask all of you out there to please not drink and drive. One small toast at midnight should be sufficient to ring in a new year. Let's start the new year with health and vitality, not a hangover. And let's start it with life, not death or sorrow.