Another Day, Another Destiny

Embrace the magic in 2013!

Yes, I have Les Miserables on my mind.  I saw the film last week with my sister and mother, and I cannot help but recommend it.  Highly.  It's a beautiful, heart-wrenching rendition of Victor Hugo's classic tale; one of those stories that, like Romeo and Juliet, I keep wanting to go differently every time I see it.  The entire cast gives a stellar performance; even Russell Crowe holds his own as a singing actor. Anne Hathaway is simply stunning, and Hugh Jackman . . . Wow.  All I can say is, I have new respect for that man.  Not everyone can shed the skin of a character like Wolverine and become a completely different entity on the big screen. I would like to see Hathaway and Jackman nominated for an Oscar.

I could go on and on, but you should just go enjoy it for yourself, if you haven't already.

I hope everyone had a marvelous holiday, and that you are in for a great 2013.  I was blessed with a festive Christmas and peaceful New Year's Eve.  We celebrated my father's 75th birthday with a big post-Christmas surprise party at my sister's house.  We had beer, wine, champagne, a great spread of delicious food, and an accordian player.  Most of all, we had lots of family and friends. It does not get much better than that. 

A week from today, the spring semester starts at Avila.  I am very excited about the classes I'm teaching this semester.  One of my favorites, Plant Biology, is cycling back onto the roster.  I am also teaching a new course, Introduction to Environmental Science, that will include a lecture and lab section.  I'm considering writing a series of posts linked to one or both of these courses, like I did for Women and Science last fall. Whether or not I decide to do that, I'm sure you'll be hearing about our on-campus adventures from time to time. 

2013 promises a lot of excitement on the writing side of things.  The wheels are starting to turn toward the publication for High Maga, the companion novel to Eolyn. The exact release date hasn't been set, but we are almost certainly looking at spring of 2014, or thereabouts. 

Over the holidays, I had the opportunity to read High Maga from beginning to end.  I made a lot of edits -- rearranged chapters, split up a few things, trimmed off some 3000 words.  That may sound formidable, but really in the end, they were minor changes.  The novel as a whole is done -- truly done -- and I must admit, I am very proud of it.  I am really looking forward to being able to share it with all of you.

The success of my recent short story, Creatures of Light, has me considering other short stories for 2013.  Last week, I pulled a project out of the dustbin; a tale set in Eolyn's world, about a generation or so before the novel begins.  This has been one of my more problematic projects; I keep giving up on it, throwing it away, then pulling it back out.  But I suspect that this time around, I may have solved the riddle as to how to make the story work. A new-and-improved draft will be farmed out to my writers groups in the coming weeks, and if it survives that trial, you may very well see it in eprint before the year's end. 

And of course, I'll be starting on the next big project.  Most likely, this will be the third and final novel of the Eolyn series; but I've also considered undertaking a novel based on Creatures of Light. Either way, you will be hearing more about my next adventure in writing during the coming months.

That's the news for the moment.  This week on Heroines of Fantasy, Terri-Lynne DeFino has a fun post about mean friends, all related to her awesome new novel Beyond the Gate. Stop by and join the discussion when you have a chance. 

Again, Happy New Year!  I'm looking forward to all the new adventures we will share in 2013.