A Fitting End to the Year

Holy shit another year is over. And, while my own was filled with ups and downs, hopefully 2022 was at least okay for you. I was talking about it with a few friends a week or so ago, and we all agreed that this past year was absent of any middle grounds--the ups were dramatically high and the lows were scraping the bedrock of a subterranean cavern. But hey, guess that makes for one hell of a roller coaster. Long as we don't get stuck in the cave without flashlights or a torch, right?

Well, a bright light in the dark is that it has definitely been a good year for writing. Not only did I get to guest edit Kingdoms of Wrath and Ice, a fantasy anthology from Tourmaline & Quartz Publishing, and have some really interesting freelance projects, but I've also had four of my own short stories published. The most recent of which, "A Common Wealth of Tragedy" is featured in Issue 2 of Portrait of New England, a regional-based literary magazine featuring writers with ties to New England. You can read the issue by clicking here. A gentle word of caution, "A Common Wealth of Tragedy" is about the after effects of a mass shooting; I would place no blame on any reader who skips this one. 

So if what was a good year for writing, was it a good year for reading? While I'm still shy of my goal, I'd say 34 books (and hopefully two more over the next week since I'll be disconnecting completely between Christmas and New Years) is still a solid number that I'm happy with. 

There were a lot of good books I read this year, and they spanned across a handful of genres, but the one that hit me the most... Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy. A heartbreaking novel about human connection and our ties to nature, as well as the validity behind our notions of evil, this book was rough for all the right reasons. If you've read it, or plan to and are in the area, I'm facilitating a book club discussion on it with Book Club On the Go ​- details below. 

So, with another year behind us, let's look toward 2023 with a little bit of confidence that it will be a good year. And hey, if that confidence simmers on the garbage fire that is the entire world, then at least there's marshmallows around here somewhere. From the depths, my friends, thanks for reading. Be safe, be kind, and be well. Until next time, cheers.