2013
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2013 was a rush. So many things happened that have never happened to me before, all positive.
Bram was born in May, and his entry into our family is one of those things that I can't quite describe. He's a beautiful, wonderful child. He's happy, and lights up whenever one of us enter the room. He's clocked in at 7 months already (where does the time go?), and one of the delights has been watching him unpack from day 1. It's a cliché to say that they do something new every day, and it's largely true. He's gone from a small, helpless human to a larger, slightly less helpless human in that time. He's curious, excited, constantly learning and changing. It's been an adventure, and I can't wait to see what happens next.
War Stories was signed and announced in May, and successfully Kickstarted in October-November. That was a nail-biting rush. We've got an outstanding group of authors, some brilliant stories, and quite a bit of work ahead of us. Fortunately, it's exciting work, and I'm looking forward to seeing this hit bookshelves in the near future.
I made my first professional short fiction sale in September - Fragmented, to Galaxy's Edge Magazine. This was a huge milestone for me, something that I've wanted to do since high school. Every author makes their first sale, and my head still reels when I realize I made that step. Now, I need to make it happen again.
My column for Kirkus has been going strong, and I'm far happier with the work that I did in 2013 than I did in 2012 (not that there was anything wrong with 2012's columns - I just found my footing, background and gained some experience). I found some outstanding people to write about, discovered a number of excellent stories. Even cooler, there's a publisher, Jurassic London, who's excited enough about the column (they called it essential reading!) to turn it into a proper book, which I'm beyond excited about.
On top of all that, I read a number of outstanding books. Ancillary Justice, The Violent Century, In Meat We Trust, The Shining Girls, Love Minus Eighty, Abaddon's Gate, NOS4A2, Ocean at the End of the Lane, and a couple of others. It was a good year to loose one's self in a book.
On the other hand, it's been an interesting year for being in the SF/F community - lots of drama. I found that it's too easy to get outraged at what others are doing and how easy it is to be pushed along by others. I found it equally easy to cut and limit their influence into my thinking. My twitter feed is much quieter, and I'm less stressed about the things I enjoy. There's still issues in various places, and I'm making some changes for 2014, but I feel like I'll be happier for them.
What's coming in 2014? War Stories drops (hopefully in May/June). My story will be published somewhere. I'm going to try and spend more time writing and less time worrying what others think of what's going on. And, enjoying spending time with a growing infant/toddler.