Hello friends, I hope this new year has been treating you well.
I’m not by nature a fan of national holidays. I find them to be stressful rather than relaxing. I am not a Scrooge. I am fine if people want to celebrate, I just don’t want to join in…except, when it comes to ringing in the new year. Other holidays can be celebrated at a different time. People will say, “We had two Thanksgivings this year” or, “We are going to celebrate your birthday late because so-and-so won’t be there.” Celebrating the new year can only happen right then. For one millisecond, everyone in your time zone can collectively share a moment. Something has ended and something has begun. Sure, it may be arbitrary and man-made, you don’t see squirrels celebrating because they don’t have calendars or care about such things, but it is special for humans.
This, naturally, gets me thinking about fresh starts. A new year, a new calendar, a new diary, a new journal all represent something spectacular. It might seem overwhelming to face the blank page and see all those days and months winding out in front of you, but I say embrace it. A blank page is a chance for a new book, or a new poem, or a new drawing. A blank calendar means you can decide how to spend your time. You can pick what happens on which day.
Let yourself be the blank page. Let yourself try something new. Start a new streak on Duolingo. Buy a new book from an author you’ve never heard of and read it. It would be great to read the umpteen books you already have but haven’t read and you can get to those too, but be daring. Maybe go to Hoopla Digital and randomly click on an album and give it a listen. It doesn’t cost you anything and you could be over the moon with joy. Try something new. Take a class. Look for a new job. Volunteer somewhere new. Sing a new song. Dance a new step.
Yes, of course, there are things we have to do. Life is life after all but why set yourself up to fail by making a pledge you won’t follow? Instead of making resolutions in the new year, and saying what you change about yourself, look forward, not backward.
I’m almost done with the third book in the Austen Chronicles, (more on that in a second) so I know what my fresh start will be. I don’t have to write a new novel this year; I get to write a new novel this year. I have other big ideas for this year too. Essays, collaborations, and podcasts, and who knows what else. I’m going to try to say yes to new ideas, and write new stories, and sing new songs, and start fresh. Whatever I end up doing, it will be a success because the only promise I make to myself for this year is that I am going to try.
Join me, won’t you?
Notes from my bookshelf
NetGalley, the online service that gives away ARCs, is my favorite drug and so, I have a backlog of amazing books to read. To nudge myself to read more of them, I am doing my first quarterly book bingo using 24 books I received from NetGalley.
I’ve knocked out eight already, but the standouts were a biography about tennis great Althea Gibson, a middle-grade graphic novel about twins who want to save a turtle, and a super fun Star Wars adventure. If you are looking for a fun, fresh start, I urge you to sign up for NetGalley, Book Sprout, or Book Sirens and load up on some amazing free books that haven’t even been published yet.
Notes from my keyboard
While I don’t like national holidays, I certainly like taking a holiday. During my holiday break from work, I wrote around 28,000 words in Universal Truth, the third book in The Austen Chronicles. Once I was back to work, I had to dial it back a bit, but I was still really busy last weekend and, so, I am over 92,000 words and staring down the ending. I am so excited to finish up, so I can get started on some of those new projects. I will be sad, of course, as I always am when a book ends, but I can always visit those characters anytime I want. They live in my head, and on my bookshelf.
I want to send a special thanks to Copperfish Books for hosting me recently and to all the folks who came in support. It was a true joy. I am honored and humbled by the support.
Thank you again for being a subscriber,
ARF
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