Moving Forward in the New Year

Welp, it is a new year. Although oddly enough, it feels pretty much the same. I don't know about you, but I'm hoping for lots of positive changes in the year to come.

 

I don't do New Year's resolutions, but I usually like to have a focus or goal for the new year. Last year it was "Embrace joy." I did pretty well with that one, all things considered, but I think it needed a corollary of "Avoid stress and drama." Well, that one is pretty tough, really, if you are staying involved and aware.

 

So this year's focus is "Keep calm and carry on." (While continuing to try and find and embrace joy wherever I can.) This basically means I'm going to do my best to stay involved and aware without letting it make me as crazy as it has for the last couple of years. We'll see how that goes.

 

In the meanwhile, in more concrete goals, I hope to finish working on the current nonfiction project for Llewellyn by the end of this month, come up with plans for two books in 2020 (probably one fiction and one nonfiction, but I still have to confer with my agent), improve my health, do more magic and meditation, and eat more really good chocolate. Life is short, after all.

 

What are your goals or resolutions for the new year?

Starting the New Year Off Right (Calendar Giveaway)

I don't know about you, but I'm already behind on 2019...

Which is why this calendar giveaway is going up today, instead of on the 1st of the month. Snort.

One of the things I like about starting a new year is picking out new calendars. I usually get some kind of cat calendars for my main one (all the birthdays, important appointments and convention dates, etc.) and for the small calendar that goes on the wall by my desk. This year it was a black cat calendar, just because, and cute kittens for the small one. I also get the Llewellyn Witches Calendar every year, to keep track of magical things, and whichever almanacs I happen to have articles in, because they send each contributor two free copies. (The spare copy of each one is usually given to a friend as a Yule gift.)

This year I spotted something fun on one of my friend's pages on Facebook and couldn't resist ordering myself one. It is a calendar with hunky Australian firefighters with cute animals. Hey, it's for charity! (Don't judge me.) In fact, it was so cool, I got an extra one, figuring I could give it away. I also have one copy of the 2019 Llewellyn Magical Almanac (with my article on Magic and Cats). So, ta da, GIVEAWAY TIME!

(I love that the colors on the covers just happen to match. It's like I was MEANT to give them both away.)

I'm trying to build my newsletter list, in part because my new publisher, St. Martin's Press, asked me how many people were signed up for it, and I'd kind of like to impress them. It only goes out about four or five times a year, usually with important announcements, and I would never sell or give away anyone's information. So please sign up, okay? Pretty please? You can either use this LINK 
or you can fill in the form at the top left of this blog. Then use the Rafflecopter form to say you did it. Ta da! (Note: If you already get my newsletter, that counts too.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 Besides getting new calendars, I'm also trying another cool thing I found on Facebook (YES, I spend too much time on Facebook). This is a simple way to focus on the positive in your life, which after last year I really needed. Plus simple, which is about all I can handle. Just take a jar and a bunch of pieces of paper, as colorful as you want to make them. Then every week, write down something good that happened, or something that made you happy, and put it in the jar. At the end of the year, pull out all the slips and read them, to remind yourself of how much good there is in your life.

Pal Ellen and I started our jars on New Year's Day (the slip of paper already in there says, "Spent New Year's Day with Ellen--Chinese food, Doctor Who, and Scrabble") but everyone in Blue Moon Circle is going to do one. We're hoping to get together for a girl's night in sometime in January to decorate the jars. If not, we'll probably do it as part of our Imbolc ritual.

One last things I'm doing to get the new year started off right is to do something a little different over at my Patreon. The folks who follow me there at the $25 level have as one of their rewards the chance to attend my monthly live online classes, or watch a recording of them later if they can't make it to the live one. I usually do a witchcraft class and/or ritual, but sometimes I talk about writing, or just do an open chat. They're a lot of fun. So this month I'm going to throw it open to everyone, even if they aren't one of my patrons. I'm not sure yet if I'm going to do it on Monday the 21st for the full moon and lunar eclipse, or on Tuesday the 22nd for just a general chat. If you have a preference, say so in the comments! And be sure to check out my PATREON PAGE to find out when the open class is going to take place. I'd love to have you join me!

Tell me, what are you doing to start your 2019 off right?

New Year, New Giveaway!

Well, folks, it's 2016. Holy crap.

Any big plans?

I've got all sorts of things planned for at least the first part of the new year, although I'm not as sure what's happening later on. Let's see...

I've got the next Baba Yaga novella, WICKEDLY EVER AFTER coming out on January 19th (you can keep track by checking the release tracker at the top of the blog). I have to admit I am really excited about this story, since it shows us what happens to Barbara and Liam and little Babs after the end of Wickedly Dangerous. Plus, Berkley is only pricing it at $1.99, which is great, don't you think?

Then just a couple of weeks later, the next Baba Yaga novel will be out! WICKEDLY POWERFUL is the story of Bella, the third of the Baba Yagas, and I can't wait until you meet her on February 2nd!

I'm not planning to travel as much in 2016 as I did in 2015, but I will be in Daytona Beach in early February for Coastal Magic. I hope I get to see a few of you there, since I hear from my friends who have gone in previous years that it is a lot of fun. Plus, you know, beach in Florida in February :-) I'll also be at Albacon in Albany, March 4th through 6th.

Mostly though, I'll be working on the first two Rider books for the next trilogy in the Baba Yaga series (it will be called The Broken Rider series, but it is still a continuation of the ongoing story, and the Babas will make appearances in each Rider book). And hopefully finding some time for fun and rest and you know, going to the gym because of all the holiday cookies...

What do you plan to do in 2016? Anything fun or interesting?

I thought I'd kick us off with the first giveaway of the year. It's a two-parter, in fact. There is a main prize pack, featuring a calendar with pictures of my cats and my books, plus signed copies of Wickedly Dangerous and Wickedly Wonderful, a fun stuffed dragon, and some of the usual swag (bookmarks, postcards, etc.) And then there will be a second, smaller prize, with a smaller version of the calendar, a signed copy of Everyday Witchcraft, and some more swag.

Main prize pack!

Big calendar and small calendar

Magic is approving the book giveaway for the 2nd prize

 As usual, no purchase is necessary (although you score extra points if you preorder the novella or the new novel, and you get extra points and my eternal gratitude if you post a NEW FOR 2016 review of any of the books). Commenting here will also get you extra points, so don't forget to tell me what you plan or hope to do in the coming year. And yes, this one is open to everyone, everywhere, just because I love you all so!

Happy New Year, and may 2016 bring you everything you desire and more than you could ever have dreamed of...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

New Things for the New Year: Kindles and Cards and Nanos, Oh My

I've started off the new year by getting myself a couple of new pieces of technology that I've been resisting for some time--a Kindle eReader and an iPod Nano. I also have a great new set of Oracle cards, thanks to the lovely Rebecca Elson (who always knows which ones are best, because she reviews them for her fabulous blog The Magical Buffet).

I confess, I'm a bit of a Luddite. I'm not big on gadgets (I still don't know how to text on  my new cheapo cell phone, although in part that's because I can't get reception at my house, so I only use it on rare occasions), although I do have three computers (a desktop and two laptops, one huge old one for editing and the smaller one I'm typing on right now) and a 4 or 5 year old Galaxy tablet (which I got for when I travel, and mostly use to play Words with Friends...).

My old stereo died years ago, and I have mostly been playing music on my computer, since that has the best speakers--Altec Lansing, which I discovered thanks to my father, who is NOT a Luddite--and my portable CD player which is huge, has crappy speakers, and eats D-cell batteries like they were M & M's.

In truth, I don't listen to music a lot in the house, although the car won't move unless there is some kind of tune playing. I blast fun music while cleaning, and I like to have music on outside when I'm gardening, but otherwise, I like the quiet. Still, it was getting frustrating to move to parts of the house where I could barely hear the computer speakers, or drag the portable battery-eater out to the garden. And *any day now* I am going to start going to the gym. So the iPod Nano seemed like a good idea.

Also, my new Honda Fit has a place to plug one in, which seemed like it would be a lot easier than carting tons of CDs around. Ill let you know how it goes, since I'm still figuring out how to download music onto it, and I haven't even tried to play it yet. [See Luddite, above.]

The Kindle came about for two reasons. One, lots of my favorite authors and writer pals are putting out some of their books, novellas especially, only in eBook form, and I was missing out on them. I have a Kindle app on my computer, but I really don't like to read on the computer, since I spend so much time on it anyway, and the laptop is banned from the bedroom. I have downloaded some things onto the tablet, but I never did end up reading them there (among other things, you can only adjust the type to four different sizes, and to change pages you have to swipe the screen with your finger, which eventually aggravates my tendonitis).

The other reason I finally broke down and got the Kindle is because I've been having problems with my eyes for months, which despite all efforts by my wonderful eye doctor (including multiple prescription changes and an attempt with extra reading glasses) has resulted in major eye pain whenever I read or use the computer. [Yeah, I know. That's only about 90% of my day.] I was hoping that being able to adjust the print size would help, and that meant getting some kind of an eReader.

I didn't want to spend a lot of money, since I would still much rather read in paper form, and I wanted something lightweight, for when I was lying in bed. The basic Kindle seemed to fit the bill.

I've only been using it for a week or so, and I have mixed feelings about it. It is definitely pretty easy to use, even for the technologically challenged like me, and I can make the font as large as I want to. But I really don't like the grayish background, which I find difficult to read against at any time, but especially at night in bed. Dammit.

Has anyone else had good experiences with other eReaders they can suggest? I don't particularly want to spend the money on a new tablet, since I only need something to read on.

The last new--thankfully LOW tech--goodie is my Conscious Spirit Oracle Deck, a Yule gift from my pal Rebecca. Written and beautifully illustrated by Kim Dreyer, this deck is one of the coolest ones I've seen. I've been using it as a daily guide of sorts, pulling a card every morning and saying out loud whatever is on it as an affirmation. I also try to be mindful of whatever comes up, as I walk through my day.

For instance, today's card was #24 (Third Eye Chakra), which says: I see the wisdom of my higher self and apply this wisdom to my life. How cool is that? [I liked them so much, I immediately ordered a set as an early birthday present and sent them to my friend Skye.]

I've also been thinking a lot about this blog, and what I want to do with it in the coming year. I've considered making it a bit more personal...obviously, I spend a lot of time talking about writing and magical work, usually in the context of my own life. (And y'all get to hear about fun stuff like rat incursions and kitchen floods.) But I tend to be a fairly private person, so while I often share my life, I don't usually talk much about how I feel, or more personal issues.

And to be honest, I'm not even sure it that is something people would even be interested in reading about. (Seriously--I'm BORING.)

So you tell me: what do YOU want to read about here in the coming year? What are your favorite bits? what do you want more of, or less of? After all, I really write this for you, my readers.

Oh, and before I forget! The new Llewellyn book, The Witch's Broom is ON SALE now, and available for preorder. Once it comes out, it will be $15.99, but Amazon has it priced at $11.99, in case you want to get your copy ordered now. *happy author dance*

A Goals and Dreams Focus Board for the New year

Some people do New Year’s resolutions every year—a list of promises to themselves, usually involving dramatic changes in behavior that seldom last past the first few days of January. There’s nothing wrong with making resolutions, if doing so actually works for you, but if it doesn’t, here’s another suggestion.

One of the core tenets of witchcraft and magical work is the importance of Focus and Intent. In order to create change (magically or otherwise), you have to know what you want (Intent) and concentrate on putting that desire out into the universe (Focus). And then, of course, you have to follow up with actions, but that comes later. Whether you call yourself a witch or not, here is one way to harness these things to bring about positive changes in the year ahead.

CREATE A GOALS AND DREAMS FOCUS BOARD

This is a variation on an activity that Blue Moon Circle and I did for years, with an added twist or two. It is fun and easy to do, and you can either do it by yourself of with a group of friends (or even your kids).

The idea here is to create a concrete manifestation of your goals and dreams for the coming year (intent) and also a reminder for yourself of what it is you’re striving for (focus). You can use whatever tools you want, and be as creative or as simple as you choose.

Basic supplies might include a piece of poster board (whatever size you want—we used to use large pieces, but I think this year we’ll stick to something closer to regular paper size, so it will be easier to find a place to put it once it is done) or you could use cardboard, or even a piece of wood. You’ll want to have pictures cut out from magazines, or printed out from online, plus pens and possibly crayons or markers, if you want to draw or write on your focus board. Don’t forget the glue. Plain old white glue usually works fine, and is safe to use with kids. You can also add anything else that appeals to you. For instance, if your goal is to go visit the ocean, you can glue on some shells. You see what I mean.

If you want, you can start by making a list of your goals for the year. These may be professional, personal, spiritual, or a combination of all of these. I tend to have one section of the board for each section of my life. For instance, you could have a quarter of the board dedicated to relationship goals (family, romance, etc.), one dedicated to financial goals, one to healthy goals (exercise, diet, etc.), and one for impossible dreams. There’s no need to limit yourself to only those things which seem “doable”. You never know what the year might hold, or what the universe might have in store for you! This is your focus board, and you can put anything on it that you want.

If you’re not a list maker, you can simply just sit down and start working, and see what shows up. If you have a list, then you can organize how you want the board to look by preparing things ahead of time, and then just laying them out as you go.

You can clip out words or pictures from magazines that embody your goals and dreams. I like to use words like joy, or success, or love, or health (usually clipped out, but if I can’t find the ones I need, I can use a marker or crayon, or print them out in a cool font on my computer) and then add pictures that seem to embody those words and goals. You can also use photographs of yourself, family, etc.

There is no right or wrong way to do your board—it is yours, after all. Just remember to focus all your energy and intent as you create it. If you want, you can say a spell for success when you’re done, or one for “Focus & Achievement,” like the one in my book, Circle, Coven & Grove. When you’re done, put the focus board someplace where you’ll see it, so you will be reminded of the path you’ve chosen for the year. (Although if things change, that’s okay too.) If you need to keep it private, you can tuck it under your mattress or into a drawer, but try to remember to take it out periodically, and check in on how you’re doing.

I  hope the coming year brings all your hopes and dreams to fruition!

Endings & Beginnings

Wow--I can't believe it is the end of another year. 2012 was a challenging one for many of us, but it had its fair share of blessings as well.

I could dwell on the negative: the physical and financial frustrations, the things that broke unexpectedly, the bad news, or the difficult weather. But frankly, there is no point in wasting your time or energy on regrets or complaints. I'd rather talk about what was wonderful about 2012.

I had a new book come out (Everyday Witch Book of Rituals), signed a contract for another one, and finished two novels, one of which is currently out on submission, and the other of which will be going out shortly. Things are going reasonably well at The Artisans' Guild, despite the crappy economy, and I still like my job most days. Samhain, the cat with chronic renal failure, is hanging in there (yay for stubborn cats!) and is just as feisty as ever, and the other cats are all doing well despite a few bumps in the road.

I got to visit with family this summer, when my sister and her kids came in from San Diego to spend some time with me and our other sister (and her hubby and kids) who lives in Schenectady. And my step-daughter is here from CA right now, so we can celebrate her New Year's birthday together for a change. I don't get to spend nearly as much time with my family as I like, so this is a great blessing indeed.

Blue Moon Circle celebrated another turn of the Wheel of the Year together, and as always, brought great joy to my life. And my friends, both actual and online, brought light where there was darkness, and laughter when there might otherwise have been tears.

I thank you all for sharing this journey with me, and I hope to see you often in the new year. Here's wishing you a fabulous, prosperous, healthy, joy-filled 2013. Here's a "New Beginnings" spell for those who want one, and I'd love to hear about the best things that happened to you in 2012!

Bless this new beginning
A gift from the gods
Which I accept with gratitude and appreciation
Let it be productive like the earth
And nurtured by the warmth of the sun
Let it flow smoothly like the water
And carry me in a positive direction
Like a seed blown on the winds
Bless this new beginning
That it may broaden my horizons
Strengthen and enlighten me
And help my spirit to grow and blossom
So mote it be

2011 in Review--Nothing But Good Times Ahead

I find it fitting that this is my 112th blog post of the year, since we are leaving 2011 behind and going into 2012. As with everything else; it is all connected.

I know that 2011 was a tough year for many people--it wasn't a breeze for me either. But as I look back on it, I mostly see the positive. I am, when it comes down to it, a fortunate woman, blessed with friends, and home, and cats...and with you, my readers. Thank you for sharing 2011 with me. I hope you'll do the same in 2012.

So what did I accomplish in 2011?

On the writing front, I wrote another book for Llewellyn (#6, the Everyday Witch Book of Rituals, which will out around October of 2012), along with many articles for my ongoing column in the Witches & Pagans Magazine and a bunch of Llewellyn annuals and almanacs. I finished one novel, the foodie romance Reinventing Ruby, and worked on a number of novels that never saw it to the light of day for one reason or another. (For those of you who don't write, the path is never as smooth as it looks like from the outside, believe me.) I finally listened to the requests of my readers who said, "We don't want to wait any longer for your fiction," and epubbed my first novel, Witch Ever Way You Can (with much help from my long-suffering friend and web-mistress, Robin Wright).

I spent the year getting to know my agent, the fabulous Elaine Spencer of The Knight Agency, and together, we expect great things in 2012.

I finally got to meet Elaine in person at RWA NYC in June, one of four writing-related trips I took during the year. (For someone who doesn't travel much, that's A LOT.) RWA was amazing, as was my trip to Salem in April for the New England Chapter RWA conference, where I got to meet one of my favorite authors, Lani Diane Rich. Both journeys also allowed me to meet up with a bunch of Betties, a group of women who first connected on Lani's blog and formed friendships whose depth has to be seen to be believed. (*Waves to the Betties*)My final trip was to nearby Albany with writer pal Nancy Holzner, where we had a lot of fun despite a less-than-successful event.

Of course, the first trip of the year was both the best and the worst: my journey to California in February, to bid my final farewells to my beloved Germambie (my maternal grandmother), but also to be together with both my sisters and my parents. That bittersweet time was followed by my visit to Pantheacon in San Jose, where I was much healed and comforted by the presence not only of my step-daughter Jenn (who lives there now), but also time spent with my adored Llewellyn editor Elysia Gallo, and many of my fans. As I said; the blessings far outweight the trials.

On the homefront, I spent much of the year doing a much-needed clearing and cleansing of my house; throwing away the old and unnecessary, clearing away clutter, and letting go of things that no longer worked for me. I can now see the floor of my barn, my entrance door is painted red, and the upstairs closets no longer hold boxes of things I moved in with ten years ago and never used. It feels good.

The five cats are all doing well, including Samhain, who is, in theory, dying of chronic renal failure, but who (thankfully!) hasn't seemed to realize it yet. I hope to have at least another year before she does. Two would be good. Three, even better.

I can't even begin to count the blessings of my life: a loving family, great friends, the best writing partner on the planet (yes, Lisa DiDio, I'm looking at you) as well as many wonderful writing pals, an agent, five cats, one very old but still-standing house, and a job I love most days. Don't get me wrong--there are plenty of things about my life that aren't perfect (you don't even want to know how long it has been since I had a relationship, or all the fun physical crap I get to deal with), but compared to people who don't have jobs, or a roof over their heads, or food on the table...frankly, I feel pretty lucky.

And then there is you. The folks who come here and read my ramblings. Who take the time to leave a comment, or go out and buy my books, or just show up. I thank you for this, and hope that, in the year to come, we can continue our travels together.

Wishing you a happy New Year, and (as my favorite author, Jennifer Crusie likes to say) "Nothing but good times ahead."

See you in 2012!

1/1/11 Nothing But Good Times Ahead

Happy New Year, all.

Today is 1/1/11 which probably means something important if you speak binary. But since I don't, I'm just going to translate it into Deb-ary, in which it says:

Nothing but good times ahead.*

I hope 2011 brings nothing but good times to you all. And I'll be back with a real blog tomorrow on my goals for the year. At least, that's the goal.

Thanks for sharing my journey through the last year, and I look forward to walking this one with you. Because seriously, nothing but good times ahead.


*Note: I stole this bit from Jennifer Crusie's blog. But if it is good enough for my favorite author, it is good enough for me. Besides, I really liked it.