Hello, all! Welcome to the first Taleweaver's Desk update of 2024! To conclude the scheduling saga of the last few of these posts: I think I'm going to stick with doing these quarterly for now, as I do have some new developments to report, but a three-times-per-year schedule isn't entirely off the table yet. I also have a question for y'all: frequently, the "Shelved for Now" and "Stacked on the Side" sections don't actually have any changes from quarter to quarter. (This "Stacked on the Side" section does, but it's an exception.) Do you like that I include these for context and record-keeping purposes even when there's not really any major changes? Or would you prefer that I just include the sections where there's an update? Please tell me in the comments after you finish reading. And on that note, let's get on with the update.

On the Taleweaver's Desk Issue 11: February 2024

On the Desktop

These are the projects you might find open on my laptop or desk if you took a peek at it during a normal day. They're currently in progress and at the top of the priority chart.

Daughters of Atirse #2

What is it? A Goose Girl/Puss in Boots retelling, the second book in the Daughters of Atirse series, and the prequel to Song of the Selkies.

Status: About 50k words into the first draft.

I'm a little behind where I'd like to be on drafting this, as I wasn't able to start until the beginning of January and my writing speed in the last couple weeks has been . . . not what I'd like it to be. That said, I am really enjoying spending time with these characters and their story and their slowly-unraveling secrets. Onora is proving herself to be an enjoyable-to-write (if very stubborn) main character, and the second-most significant character is her cat, who is delightful. I love him very much. (On a side note, I just realized that, since Gilded in Ice, I have been alternating between significant-cat books and no-cat books, which is . . . interesting? We'll see if the pattern holds.) Another aspect of this book that I'm really enjoying is the faith element. I've said that Song of the Selkies was my most Christian story, but Onora's story is a step even further than that, with Onora's faith forming a major part of her character arc. (I say this not in the sense that it's a salvation story, for the record, but in the sense that she spends a certain amount of time wrestling with a particular aspect of her faith, and only when she resolves that wrestling can she start to really solve other problems.)

D&D Campaign: Defenders of Serys

What is it? Defenders of Serys is the homebrew D&D campaign that I run for my D&D group.

Status: Working on the next adventure . . . slowly.

I am running out of time to write the next adventure, but like a fool, I decided to do something complicated and then prioritized it under pretty much every other writing project. I know what I want to do; I just have to figure out how to make it work. I've made progress, though! I probably have a session's worth of material, if push comes to shove, and once I finish the next step in the writing process, I'll actually have a lot of the hard part done. I just have to, y'know, finish that next step.

Stacked on the Side

These are the stories that I'm not actively working on (at least not officially), but I'm keeping close at hand because I plan to get back to them soon (or I just work on them sporadically as the urge takes me).

Bastian Dennel, PI #5

What is it? Originally Book 4 in my Bastian Dennel, PI series, now book 5. Bastian takes on a murder mystery involving far too many Families.

Status: Drafted; in need of a rewrite. I need to write the new Book 4 before I dive back into this, unless I decide to do something weird, but it's still pretty high on the priority list. I'm looking at a 2025 release, if all goes well.

Blood in the Earth

What is it? Blood in the Earth is the sequel to Blood in the Snow and a retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses crossed with the myth of Hades and Persephone.

Status: First draft finished; awaiting rewrites. I still love this story, but I don't know when I'll get back to it.

Once Upon a Dream

What is it? A light steampunk (or gaslamp fantasy?) Sleeping Beauty retelling; the predecessor to The Midnight Show

Status: Edited several times over. Awaiting another round of rewrites/expansion/edits (and a useful excuse/motivation for prioritizing those edits).

Shelved for Now

These are stories that are also on hold, but which I don't have specific plans to work on very soon. They're still within easy reach should I decide to return to them, but they aren't a top priority.

There are no significant changes to any of these projects since my last update, but I'll leave the list here for anyone who hasn't seen it before!

Dust of Silver

What is it? Classic-ish fantasy retelling of the Twelve Dancing Princesses crossed with Rapunzel, the first book in what has the potential to be a rather long series. Also, a rewrite of a book I wrote years ago that won't let go of me because CHARACTERS.

Status: Several chapters into the rewrite, though those several chapters haven't been touched in a few years.

Between Two Worlds

What is it? A portal fantasy adventure about what happens when you come home from the adventure, only to discover that the adventure isn't quite as done with you as you thought.

Status: Awaiting another round of edits/rewrites while I write other things and daydream about its sequels. May get bumped further up the priority list depending on certain other factors, but probably not for a while yet.

The Way of the Pen

What is it? Self-aware fantasy adventure about a girl and her author.

Status: The first draft is sitting on my shelf, patiently waiting for its turn back in the spotlight, as it has been for some time. Of everything in this section, this is the most likely book to move up to Stacked on the Side or On the Desktop, as I occasionally have wild thoughts of editing it and shopping it 'round to traditional publishers. However, that actually happening in the next couple years is improbable, due to Atirse and Bastian Dennel taking priority.

Berstru Tales series

What is it? A classic epic fantasy series and the longest-running series I've worked on (either in the number of books written or in how long I've worked on it.

Status: Needs to be rewritten from the ground up, but the bones are good. There's a particular character who's getting a whole new arc, and I'm really excited to write it . . . when I have time.

Awaiting Delivery

These are the stories that are on their way, but haven't quite arrived yet to the point where I can write them: ideas I'm toying with but haven't even started to draft because they're still too nebulous.

Additional Bastian Dennel, PI novels

What is it? Exactly what the heading said. Book 4 will be Jack and the Beanstalk (yes, I'm serious); other stories planned include The Little Mermaid, The Goose Girl, The Nutcracker, and Pwyll & Rhiannon.

Status: I continue to poke at series order, trying to produce something where there's not a huge gap between books but also I don't have too many stories too close together and I can write the stories I'm most excited about sooner.

Future Daughters of Atirse books

What is it? What the headline said, again. Multiple other stories connected with Song of the Selkies. Specifically, I have plans for some variation on Beauty and the Beast (sequel), Tam Lin (prequel), and Pwyll & Rhiannon (sequel), as well as a prequel and at least one other sequel that don't have specific fairy tales but will be written because I want to tell their main characters' stories.

Status: Lots of plans, and I only write so fast, but I spend enough time brainstorming these with a friend that I should have them pretty well planned out by the time I actually get to start drafting.

Novellas from the world of Blood in the Snow

What are they? Currently, three ideas for spinoffs, most of which are also fairy tale retellings: one Puss in Boots (no, really), one Orpheus and Eurydice (probably crossed with a similar Japanese myth, Izanagi and Izanami), and one that's not currently a fairy tale retelling but would be about Gan and Azuma before they were animal-keepers at the emperor's palace (inspired the summer I spent watching a lot of Hogan's Heroes).

Status: Won't be written until after I edit Blood in the Earth.

Unnamed Fantasy Murder Mystery

What is it? Exactly what the headline says. A prominent noble is murdered; his adoptive daughter is poised to inherit his lands and position — but some are saying her hand was behind his death.

Status: Still just an idea, but it's an idea with a really good soundtrack. Still not going to be tackled until after Blood in the Earth. May end up being set in the same world as Daughters of Atirse, though not in the same series and later in the world's timeline.

Miscellaneous Short Stories

What is it? A potential story for H.L. Burke's DOSA Files anthology and a few other ideas that are ping-ponging around in my head.

Status: The DOSA Files story needs to get written in the next month and a half or so. (Technically, I have until the end of April, but I don't want to wait until the very last minute, since I'd like to run the story through beta readers.) I have a couple weeks off from grad school in mid-March, so I may try to fit it in then; otherwise, I'll jump into it at the start of April. I'm also toying with the idea of trying to write some other short stories that I've had in my head for a while so I can maybe do an anthology of my own sometime, but we'll see how that goes.

What projects (writing or otherwise) are you working on currently, and how are they going for you? Tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

 

February Is Fantasy Month: Favorite Romance Tropes

Hello all! With Valentine's Day just behind us, I think it's safe to say that many of us have romance on the brain. So, what better time than now to talk about some of my favorite romance tropes? And to link in with February is Fantasy Month again, for every trope, I'm going to include a few fantasy book recommendations that I think really showcase what I'm talking about.

Favorite Romance Tropes

1. Slow Burn. I think my love for this trope is well-established — the surest way to make me enjoy a romance is to make it a good slow-burn, where the question isn't isn't "Will they or won't they?" but rather "How long will it take both of them to realize what's going on?" After all, half the joy of a slow burn is spotting it long before the characters do and then making much of hand-touches and smiles and definitely-not-dates. Whether this takes place over the course of a series or in a single book, I'm certain to enjoy it.
   If you want to read this, try . . . For a single-book slow-burn, I happen to be very fond of my most recent release, Song of the Selkies. Not only does it have a proper "crockpot romance" (which is to say, everything is lovely and tender and there's pining), it comes with bonus Faramir and Eowyn vibes. That said, I would also classify Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones as this type of romance — even though the book is short, the love story is drawn out and clever readers see the romance coming long before the characters will admit it. And for a series-long slow-burn, there's W.R. Gingell's City Between.
2. Princess and Rogue Parings. This is a another trope that I've mentioned loving plenty of times and that I enjoy writing as much as I enjoy reading. Happily, this dynamic shows up fairly frequently: a man — perhaps an actual rogue, perhaps just someone with roguish traits — who's been living only for himself meets a woman caught up in what everyone else needs (or expects) her to be. As a result, he finds a reason to be selfless, and she has a chance to be seen and loved solely for herself. And for the reader, that means we get two characters who probably play off each other in really fun ways, probably a healthy dose of snark, and a redemption arc. Plus, it frequently overlaps with the Ladykiller in Love trope, in which a guy known for liking the ladies in general, but not getting permanently attached to any of them, finds himself head-over-heels in love — probably with the one woman who'd never fall for his usual advances. What more could a girl want?
   If you want to read this, try . . . So many good choices — though some of my favorites examples of this trope are actually in movies, not books (and not always fantasy movies either). But probably my favorite bookish example (aside from Howl) is found in   Starflower by Anne Elisabeth Stengl. Bard Eanrin may not be a rogue, but he shares most of the essential characteristics, and Starflower certainly fits the princess profile . . . and their relationship is one of my favorite aspects both of this book and the series as a whole. I also love the way this plays out in books 3 and 4 of The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer, and you'll also find it in a lot of H.L Burke's Supervillain Rehabilitation/Romance Project books. (I'm pretty sure Accidentally a Superhero would be the best example, but I haven't read that one yet.)
3. Friends to Lovers. This frequently overlaps with the slow-burn trope, but there's just something lovely about seeing a pair of friends turn into something more, or in reading an established romance where it's clear that the couple cared about each other as friends long before they even thought about kissing. I especially love the childhood-friends-to-lovers variant and the idea that these two characters have always been and always will be by each other's sides.
   If you want to read this, try . . . If you want the childhood friends version of this, pick up Lady Dragon, Tela Du  or Snowfield Palace, both by Kendra E. Ardnek. (It's also in the backstory for Through a Shattered Glass, just saying . . .) On the other hand, if you'd like a version that overlaps with the next trope on this list, you'll probably be very pleased with the romance in the DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul, which has a lovely antagonists-to-friends-to-lovers-to-happily-married-couple sequence over the course of books two through five.
4. Antagonists to Lovers. This is more commonly known as enemies to lovers, but I'm using the broader term of "antagonists" because the category of books I'm describing includes everything from legitimate, blades-at-the-throats enemies to people who are more just . . . rivals, or who annoy each other until they start to see things differently. In any case, the journey as couples in this trope come to see from one another's perspectives, sympathize with someone they disliked, and usually find some kind of redemption in the process is just so lovely to read . . . and the fact that the characters usually have a lot of deliciously snarky and charged interactions, as well as begrudgingly tender moments, doesn't hurt either.
   If you want to read this, try . . . For actual enemies to lovers, you can't go wrong with An Enchantment of Ravens by Margaret Rogerson or Gothel and the Maiden Prince by W.R. Gingell. On the other hand, if you're looking for characters who are merely antagonistic, but not necessarily outright enemies, pick up A Thieving Curse by Selina R. Gonzalez or Echo North by Joanna Ruth Meyer.
5. Married Adventure Couples. Does this count as a romance trope? I don't know, but I absolutely love when a fictional couple gets married and then continues having adventures and being awesome, with the added benefit of being secure in their relationship so they know they already have each other's backs and becoming a fabulous battle couple (if they aren't that already). It's both a nice change of pace from the drama of pre-marriage couples and a reminder that "happily ever after" doesn't mean nothing interesting ever happens again.
   If you want to read this, try . . . As already mentioned, this appears in the last two books in the DragonKeeper Chronicles by Donita K. Paul. It's also heavily present from book 4 onward in Kendra E. Ardnek's Bookania Quests series — and, conveniently, book 4 is one of the series entry points. Unfortunately, I can't think of many other examples — if you know of any, make sure you let me know!

What are your favorite romance tropes? What are your favorite books including those tropes? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

Hey'a, friends! As you may have seen, this year, Jenelle Leanne Schmidt brought back February is Fantasy Month, a month-long celebration of all things fantasy! This includes daily posts over on her site, a blog post linkup, giveaways, and an Instagram challenge. And because I love both fantasy and prompts that help me figure out what to post about, I'm borrowing today's Instagram topic, fantasy subgenres, for today's post. Now, I've met very few fantasy subgenres I don't enjoy . . . but I definitely like some more than others, so today, I'm sharing my top five favorites (roughly in order), along with some recommendations in each of those subgenres. 

As a note, I am not including fairy tale retellings as a subgenre because any fairy tale retelling is necessarily also at least one other subgenre. Not that some of these other subgenres don't overlap, but they don't have to overlap, you know? With that out of the way, let's get on with the list.

February Is Fantasy Month:
Favorite Fantasy Subgenres

1. Fantasy mystery. That this makes the top of the list shouldn't come as a surprise to anyone. Before I discovered fantasy, I devoured mystery books like they were going out of style. It took me a surprisingly long time to discover that the two can be combined — but once I did, I was delighted. The only thing better than a good whodunnit is a good whodunnit in which the culprit might be a dragon and the detective a wizard. Or, you know, vise versa. I am 100% on board with dragon detectives, and if anyone knows of a good such book (other than A Tale of Two Castles), please tell me so I can read it.
   If you want to read this, try . . . The Knight and Rogue series by Hilari Bell was the first fantasy-mystery I encountered, and it has both some very well-crafted mysteries and a really fun dynamic between the two main characters, Michael (a would-be knight errant with a sense of honor to match) and Fisk (a former thief and con artist with a better heart than he lets on). It's more low fantasy, but if you want something more magical, try The Invisible Library series by Genevieve Cogman, which includes dragons, fae, alternate dimensions, and librarian-spies. And, of course, I have to mention my all-time favorite fantasy mystery, Masque by W.R. Gingell, which turns Beauty and the Beast into a murder mystery.
2. Epic fantasy. While I read less of this than I used to, I still love it. Epic fantasy (especially quest-based epic fantasy) is where I learned to love the genre, and it contains many of the stories that make my heart sing. The greatest heroes and the darkest villains are often found here, and so is some of the most magnificent worldbuilding in all fantasy.
   If you want to read this, try . . . The obvious recommendations here are Tolkien and Sanderson, and I love both of them — The Lord of the Rings was one of the subgenre originators, and The Stormlight Archive is one of the most epic of epic fantasies I've ever read. But Tolkien and Sanderson are also both long and well-known, and so I also want to include a couple more obscure recommendations. Moonscript by H.S.J. Williams is a beautiful, thrilling tale of adventure, salvation, friendship, and the battle between light and darkness, with notes of both The Lord of the Rings and The Tales of Goldstone Wood. And speaking of Goldstone Wood, I love the whole series, but Golden Daughter is both the most epic and one of my favorites in that series.
3. Heist fantasy. Much like fantasy mystery, heist fantasy takes an already awesome genre (who doesn't love a really clever, exciting heist/con story?) and makes it better via the addition of magic, magical beings, and fantastical locations. If you've ever watched Leverage and thought "you know what this needs? a dragon. or a vampire," then you and I are on the same page. On one hand, imagine the schemes a crew can pull when their team could include wizards, fae, or even dragons! On the other hand, imagine the schemes they'll have to come up with when their mark can read minds or famously has (or is) a dragon guarding his treasure! (Oh, wait, that's just The Hobbit. Though that one worked out more due to luck than any clever scheming on Bilbo and the dwarves' part . . .) While I haven't read a ton in this genre, I've enjoyed 95% of what I have read, so it definitely makes the favorites list.
   If you want to read this, try . . . So, I can't get you Leverage with a dragon, but I can get you Leverage with a vampire (or, well, ex-vampire) in the form of Miss Dark's Apparitions by Suzannah Rowntree. I absolutely love this crew of inventors, schemers, and con artists, both for their adventures and for the interactions and dynamics between them. (Obviously, if you want something a little more epic, Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn and Leigh Bardugo's Six of Crows are both also excellent. But y'all probably know about those already.)
4. Portal fantasy. Portal fantasy seems to be out of style at the moment — or, at least, I don't see very much of it — which is tragic, as it's so fun. It has all the benefits of epic fantasy, but with the additional plus that you're experiencing everything alongside someone who's as new to it as you are. And, of course, there's all kinds of interesting things you can do with the tension of feeling caught between two worlds, with adapting to back home after your adventure, and so forth.
   If you want to read this, try . . . Probably my favorite portal fantasy (outside of Narnia) is the Legends of Karac Tor by D. Barkley Briggs, a Christian series that blends elements of Norse, Celtic, Welsh, Arthurian, and Native American mythology in its worldbuilding — plus, it has fantastic characters, lots of family dynamics, and a fantastic storytelling voice. Brandon Mull's Beyonders is another excellent trilogy that plays with some tropes and includes some very unique worldbuilding elements. Also, while it's not exactly portal fantasy (more time travel), Kari Maaren's Weave a Circle Round has a lot in common with the subgenre, lots of references to literature and legends, and absolutely no romance.
5. Urban, Historical & Gothic fantasy. I'm combining these three for two reasons. Urban and historical fantasy fit together because I love them both for the same reasons: I enjoy seeing the way authors weave together magic and magical beings with reality, coming up with wondrous secrets behind even the most mundane matters. As for the Gothic fantasy, most of this subgenre is also historical fantasy. Plus, many of my favorite historical fantasies are also Gothic — it's that extra edge of darkness, creepiness, and mystery that makes everything more exciting and provides opportunities for light and redemption to show up even better. That said, these elements do have to be used in moderation, which is where a lot of urban fantasy especially goes wrong.
   If you want to read this, try . . . For urban fantasy, you know I have to recommend W.R. Gingell's City Between. (No surprises there; I yell about it every few months, it seems.) For historical fantasy, try . . . well, literally anything by Suzannah Rowntree, but also Spinning Silver by Naomi Novik, a multi-faceted Rumplestiltskin retelling set in Russia. And if you're after some Gothic fantasy, you can go cozy with The Secrets of Ormdale series by Christina Baehr, or you can aim dark and romantic with Black and Deep Desires by Claire Trella Hill.

What are your favorite fantasy subgenres, and what books in those subgenres do you especially recommend? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!

January 2024 Doings!

Hey'a, friends! We're officially a month into 2024, and I feel like the year has had a pretty good start. While January had some rough spots, I've had a reasonably pleasant month involving a new hobby, some gaming, and a lot of writing. So, let's look back and see what was good!

Writing!

• I'm happy to say I've had a very productive January, writing-wise! Daughters of Atirse #2 has about 30,000-some words of rough draft to its name, plus 10,000-odd words of outline (from which I have already diverged, but it's fine — it's mostly scenes happening in a different order than I expected). That comes out to a pleasantly palindromic total of 40,204 words towards this project. My productivity was partially due to writing deadlines and partially thanks to the fact that the RealmSphere (aka, Realm Makers social media) held a NaNoWriMo alternative this month called JanNoWriMo. Participating in that, particularly needing to report daily wordcounts and having people to sprint with on Saturday mornings, helped a lot with staying on track.
• Also helping the writing productivity is the fact that this book moves a bit quicker than Song of the Selkies in terms of pacing. This is partially due to the type of story I'm telling, partially due to the fact that I don't have to do as much setup at the start, and partially because of differences between Onora's personality and Ceana's. (Notably, Onora is much more decisive than Ceana.)
• And since the book is going so well, I'm sharing a snippet from the first chapter:

“So may it be,” Onora echoed softly. Dòmhnall’s hands left her shoulders, and she stood. “Thank you, Aoghaire. I appreciate your prayer, and I hope you will not cease to pray on my behalf.”

“I have been doing so long before now, your highness, and I have no intention of stopping.” Dòmhnall looked as though he might have laughed but caught himself just in time. “And if there is aught else a priest may do for a princess, I am at your service.”

“I am of the opinion that a princess always needs a priest.” Onora smiled wryly. “Or so my royal father and mother have taught me. They take council often with Deòrsa, the head priest nearest our castle. I hope I will be able to call on you for advice in the same way.”

Dòmhnall bowed my head. “It would be my honor, your highness, as well as being my duty before Dèanadair.”

“Good! Then I have no doubt we will see much of each other.” Even from this brief interaction, Onora had no doubt that Dòmhnall would be a valuable councilor. He was younger than Deòrsa, but he was devoted and seemed to know the words of Dèanadair well. “And do not hold back in your council, please. If you see me walking down a foolish path, or a path that would dishonor Dèanadair, warn me of my folly, whether I ask for it in the moment or not. No king or queen is above such warnings when given by a servant of the Maker.”

“I will do my best, your highness,” Dòmhnall replied. There was a hint of humor in his voice as he added, “And you will forgive me if, should such warnings be necessary, I remind you that you made this request.”

• I haven't gotten as much done on other writing, unfortunately. My DOSA Files anthology submission has not yet been transferred from my brain to paper or screen, even in outline form. I also didn't do a lot of D&D writing, though I did at least start on the next adventure, and I have a decent bit of the introductory stuff done. The trouble is that the next bit of introductory stuff is the part upon which the rest of the adventure hangs, and so it will take more time and thought than I've had to spare thus far.
• We did get a couple D&D sessions in, though! And they were fun, though rather chaotic, due to various people deciding that violence was the answer to problems that probably could've been solved via a simple conversation. (I am mildly bewildered. But people had fun, and this is not exactly uncommon for D&D groups, so we're fine.) Next session should be the climax of this adventure, which is exciting!

Reading!

• Due to everything else I had going on, I didn't do a lot of reading in January — just six books, plus one that I've been reading via email subscription and finished around the start of this month. That said, I liked most of what I read, so I'm not complaining!
• About half of my reading was in ARCs: Wishing on a Supervillain, Mantles of Oak and Iron, and Drake Hall. I posted my thoughts on Mantles and Drake Hall earlier this month, so I won't repeat myself except to say that both of these were excellent both as sequels and as stories in their own right. Wishing was also excellent — it has everything I love about the SVR books, but as a standalone with largely new characters, it would also be an easy entry point for anyone looking to get into the multi-series. To that end, it's currently free on Amazon, so if you're interested, definitely go pick it up!
• The other half of my reading consisted of rereads. I read DragonQuest with a friend group readalong, and that was a lot of fun — it's one of my favorites in the series. I also started it on Dragon Appreciation Day, delightfully! Then I reread The Vanishing Sculptor because I couldn't go onto DragonKnight before the rest of the group got there (alas). I then ended the month with Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson, mostly because I needed to read a Goodreads Choice Award winner for a reading challenge I was doing, and that one was easy to get my hands on and counts towards my other goal of injecting more non-spec-fic books into my reading diet.
• As for Kidnapped!, which I read in the form of an email subscription: this is a classic and a fun story that I wish I'd learned about ages ago. While I did end up periodically exasperated with various characters, I enjoyed the adventure and drama of the tale overall. Plus, it's set in historical Scotland, so how can one argue with that?

Watching!

• I didn't watch much outside of YouTube this month, as I either didn't have free time or chose to spend that free time in other ways — as I may have said before, the thing about movies is that if I have two or three hours "free," then I typically can think of three to five other things I really should be doing with that time, so I do those other things instead. The only way I really watch anything longer than an hour (on a really good day) or twenty minutes (on a normal day) is if I'm watching it with someone else — typically because we either scheduled it a minimum of 24 hours in advance or because my family caught me on an evening when other plans I had were cancelled.
• (Side note for people who watch movies or multiple TV episodes by yourselves on the regular: how the pumpernickel do you just casually decide to do that? How do you not look at a block of time that long and say "That is way too many minutes to commit to just sitting here and basically doing nothing"? Because I cannot do that. It's not a "I can only focus on one thing for so long" issue. If given the proper opportunity, I can easily read for the length of your average movie, and my favorite board game takes about that same amount of time. Movies are just . . . I can't. I could be writing. I could be doing classwork. I could be making a thing. I could be gaming. I could be reading. I could be doing multiple of those things. And yes, I can knit or crochet or sometimes embroider while watching a movie, but that only goes so far, and after a while your hands get tired, you know? Anyway, the point is, I do not understand how people can do that, and I would like to know your secrets because I am so behind on pretty much everything.)
• All that to say: I did see two movies this month, both with my family. Towards the beginning of the month, we watched Footloose, specifically the more recent version, which was actually pretty fun. It's a good story, some good music, and I appreciated that the main character was actually a genuinely good guy instead of a Bad Boy with a Heart of Gold like he very easily could've been. Later in the month, we watched Arsenic and Old Lace, which I wanted to see because it had Cary Grant in it and I knew it was a popular play. I did not love that one, frankly. Parts of it were good, or at least funny, but mostly it was just weird.

Life!

• While January was a good month (broadly speaking), it was definitely one of those months that felt much longer than it actually was. I think that's due to the fact that none of the weeks were really routine? I could be wrong, though.
• As usual, we ended 2023 by celebrating with our Bible study — I think that was the largest gathering we've had in a while, as some people who've moved away or switched to hosting their own studies came back for the holiday, and a lot of other people brought additional family. It was a fun time, though as chaotic as one would expect. While we had our countdown at nine, my family ended up staying a lot later than usual to chat with people, so I actually was still up at midnight. (This was a shock to my sister, who responded to my scheduled "Happy New Year" text with "Why are you still awake?")
• Then we started 2024, also as usual, by taking down the Christmas tree and other Christmas decorations. It's the first time I can remember not having all four of us there to take them down, so that was a little weird, but it went more smoothly than I feared it would.
• Jumping ahead to MLK Day weekend, we, like a lot of the rest of the country, got a ridiculous amount of snow on Monday, which I was salty about because I already had the day off. Don't get me wrong; it was pretty, but it's still snow. Then it snowed Tuesday too, so I did get that day off, at least (aside from the work-from-home stuff I did so I wouldn't have to cram everything into a two-day week). Even so, by the time Friday's snowstorm hit, I was ready to be done with cold, snow, and ice.
• Thankfully, it did warm up by the 28th (last Sunday), when I went up to Longwood Gardens with my friend Wyn and her family! Granted, "warm" was only in the 40s (and raining), but that's still far superior to teens and 20s as far as temperature goes. Even with the rain, I had a great time seeing the gardens, taking lots of pictures in the conservatory, and just hanging out with Wyn and talking about books and life and whatever else we felt like.
• Moving on from events to more overarching narratives of the month, I decided to give a new hobby a try and learned Coptic stitch bookbinding. This came on my radar back in October when I saw some gorgeous handmade journals, looked at the binding, and thought "Hey, that looks like crochet; I bet I can do that." As it turned out, I was right! So, over the course of the month, I made three journals, plus one — which is to say, I made three, but remade one of them so I could test a different type of cord without having to use up more of my paper and board. The last journal I made turned out well enough to give it as a gift, which was my goal, so I'm pleased about that. I don't think bookbinding will become an all-the-time hobby like knitting, crochet, and embroidery, mostly because it's not very portable. However, I think it'll be a good skill to have in my back pocket, and I'd like to keep doing more of it and maybe try some other techniques as well.
• I also did a fair bit of baking this month. For New Year's Eve, I made starchies from Baking Yesteryear to take to the party. Starchies are cookies made with cornstarch, sweetened condensed milk, and butter, and they're a unique little cookie — kind of dry, but with a good flavor. Then, on MLK day, I made peanut butter bread, also from Baking Yesteryear. This is one of the top recipes from that book that I wanted to try, and I was not disappointed at all! The bread was pretty easy to make, and it tasted great! I did learn, though, that I need to let it cool all the way before cutting; otherwise it's kind of crumbly. That same weekend, I made soft honey cookies for a work party, which were . . . ok. They tasted fine, but they were kind of boring, to be honest. Finally, I wrapped up the month with two loaves of sourdough bread (one for my family, one to give as a gift). As it turns out, making two loaves at once is pretty workable, and it has the additional benefit of using all the sourdough starter I don't need to feed, so I don't end up with discard.
• Additionally, this month saw the start of my next grad school class. This one is on technical writing, and it seems ok so far. I don't think it's going to be my favorite class I've taken, but it's not bad. The fact that I'm already comfortable with the topic definitely helps, and I think I'll be able to have some of the future projects overlap with things I need to do anyway at work.
• On the topic of work: this month has been a little crazy due to the fact that we had an astonishing number of funerals and the fact that Lent starts so early. Plus, various people have been traveling, which means everyone back in the office is a little more stressed. Still, things are going ok, and I'm keeping up with what needs to be done.
• Finishing up with a D&D update: we only got to meet twice this month, but both of those sessions were really good and included both great character moments and cool combats. My character got a new sword (which is an artifact-level Holy Avenger, y'all), and we got some reveals about another character's backstory. I'm a bit nervous about the upcoming sessions (because they will involve a lot of diplomacy and that always stresses me out), but yeah. It's been good. I really love both my group and my DM, and I'm so grateful that I get to adventure with them.

February Plans

• Well, I managed to write 40K in January . . . so now I'm going to see if I can do it again in February! I made good progress on Daughters of Atirse #2, but the book's still a long way from finished, and I want to have it fully drafted by the end of March if at all possible. I also want to work on my DOSA Files submission and my D&D campaign — the former is only if I have time, though. The D&D campaign will probably be a necessity unless we end up missing almost all the sessions in February. I have a plan for the D&D stuff! I've had a plan for over a year! The problem is just that some of the setup for said plan will be . . . complicated. And I really should've worked on it sooner, but I opted to prioritize my novels instead, which was the right choice but does mean more work now.
• Work will probably continue to be busy, since Lent begins in the middle of the month. (Fun fact: Ash Wednesday and Valentine's Day are the same day this year!) I'm hoping to work ahead as much as possible on various projects related to Lent and Easter, just so I can minimize stress in March.
• My grad school technical writing class will continue for all of this month, and I'm hoping it continues to be non-frustrating and fairly chill. Based on the assignment descriptions, I think it should be, but we'll see how things actually work out.
• As far as reading goes, I have more exciting ARCs waiting for me, as well as a handful of memoirs and classics I'd like to get to. (I'm trying to be proactive about my reading goals here.) Plus, I get to reread DragonKnight, one of my favorites of the Dragonkeeper Chronicles, so I'm looking forward to that!
• Finally, on the crafting front, I'm hoping to finish the shawl I've been crocheting for the last few months. It seems like it should be done soon, but because it's a loop, it's hard to try on. I know I haven't been working on it that long — I want to say that I started it in October or November — but it feels like it's been an eternity! I will definitely plan to do another short project or two once it's done. (I haven't decided what yet.)
• So, yes. I'm hoping for a quiet month in February. Whether or not I'll actually get it . . . well, only God knows that, and I guess the rest of us will find out.

How was your January? Did you get any of the snow, and if so, did you enjoy it, or were you more like me? If you're a frequent movie-watcher, how do you not get caught up thinking of all the other things you should or could be doing with that time? Any plans for February? Please tell me in the comments!
Thanks for reading!