Closing Out the Year
Digging out after a big snow at my house. What kind of stories are you hoping for in 2023? And some happy New Year's wishes from me.
Well, Monsters, here we are at the end of yet another year and a pristine and somewhat unexpected winter snow has come to wipe the slate clean. With it, a promise of new beginnings and hopefully some excitement, fills this post as we head into 2023 in a couple of days.
At least that’s what I’m telling myself as I come in, huffing and puffing, after shoveling a path for the animals through a couple feet of wet snow. In truth, as a Colorado native, this is one of my favorite kinds of weather. Diamond snow and sun on pines is absolutely gorgeous! Here’s a little picture gallery of the scene. Sorry, no Gus shots. He wasn’t having any of it and waited until I had cleared the way for him to go out for a romp.
So, Monsters, as we embark on a new year, I have to ask if you have any special goals or plans for the days ahead? I shy away from the whole “resolutions” thing, but thinking about new endeavors is always exciting to me. I do have a few writing projects I’m hoping to tackle that I’ll be sure to tell you about. Books, yes, but I also find myself really wanting to do more with this account as far as offering more content to those of you who’ve been gracious enough to follow me on Substack and accept my letters in your inbox or on the app. I will definitely be sharing more flash fiction and book excerpts with you. There are also a lot of features I haven’t made use of here yet that sound like fun, ie. new sections, a chat feature and some others I’m exploring… so stay tuned!
In all honesty, I would like to pull more into this little group (which I have affectionately termed our “readers’ lair”) and put my energy here as opposed to social media. Let me know if you have any ideas for things you’d like to see happen in this space in the future. I truly do want our lair to be a place for us all to share our love for books and the fantasy genre on the whole. In that vein, my ears are open to what you might like to read / see discussed in coming installments.
Don’t be surprised if I share more of my research findings as I head into the writing of the fifth book in the Tides of Atlantis series. I love the globetrotting aspect of these books. Especially, the digging through of folklore and mythologies from around the world. I also am a big fan of hidden history and also theoretical as well as pseudo science. Don’t hate me, lol! Aliens, lost continents, mysteries of the pyramids and what-have-you—I love all of that suff! It’s all in the name of sparking my storyteller’s imagination, but don’t be surprised if I sneak some of my findings into either a newsletter or create a special section for it.
Okay, that rounds out my plans for the writing I hope to put forth in this corner of the inter-webs. As for boring, real life, I do have some fitness and nutrition goals for the new year. If you have any interest as to what those are or want to join me in a kind of rah rah support group, let me know. I really just want to achieve Marley (from King of the Tides) type fitness status and throw couches across rooms, command Cerberus, and traverse the fiery underworld bridges of Tartarus. Nothing too far fetched, of course. You know, we’ll see how that goes.
All of this to get to the point, finally and ask the big question:
What will you be reading in 2023???
Seriously, what books are hoping to dive into in the new year? Furthermore, what kind of stories are you hoping for? What types of characters, creatures, story worlds etc. are you dying to escape into? Inquiring story writers want to know. Well, this one does anyway.
I’d love to hear about other story-telling mediums that have caught your attention. What are you watching, listening to, looking at? The hubs and I just rewatched all the first two seasons of The Witcher episodes, and I have to say that, for me, it hasn’t gotten old. Yes… Henry Cavill in leather pants does not get old. *clears throat*
But anyway, what are you currently into? What’s stoking your imagination?
Before I close out, I have to make a bit of an apology, Monsters. I planned to repost info for the 12 Days of Christmas Book giveaway last week. Due to weather causing some crazy wifi issues out here in “wonderland” where I live, I didn’t get that done. I hope those of you that were interested were able to find all the social media posts I put up for the contest and were able to play along. But, in the spirit of ushering in some excitement for the New Year, I’m offering the chance to win an ebook copy of Storm Tide here in the lair today. To enter, comment or reply to any of the questions posed in this email along with the word '“entering”.
A couple days left!!
There’s still time to check out C. L. Cannon’s Book Fair. Really great prizes to be won here! Offer open through December 31st. Click link to enter.
And with that I wish you all a very happy, and magical new year, Monsters!!
Be fearless, be fun!
Amanda V Shane
Wow, your photos are gorgeous! I don't make resolutions either, but it always seems like a good time to think about reading more and changing up my writing routine. Love your ideas for shaking things up and look forward to seeing some of your new projects :-) Have a Happy New Year!