In 2012....

"Never put off till tomorrow what may be done day after tomorrow just as well." - Mark Twain

Another of Cricket's blogging challenges coming.
Mini Blogging Challenge: In 2012, come heck or high water, I am going to ___________.

Problem is, I have a few things to go in the blank.  Right now, I just wanna fill it in with "get over this damned pneumonia."  I don't recall ever being this vexed by an illness, but this one has been sucking the life out of me for the past couple of weeks.  I've only done a relatively few blog posts, and I've shown no love to The Grumpy Dean's Twitter account, and worse--I've not written much at all.  Before the Z-Pac started working and I felt like writing this weekend, in fact, I'd only done about 2K words all month.  I know, I complained once about the environment and a certain piece of electronics it contains, and that has something to do with it, but fact is I've been too wiped to really do much.

Luckily, there's a light.  It's at the end of the tunnel, hopefully, or perhaps it's the train bearing down on me.  Whatever.  But I'm feeling better, for the time being, and proof of that is that I finally finished a short story I was working on and submitted it for an anthology that Trestle Press is coming out with.  It might even, in fact, get published separately; we'll see what the publisher thinks. 

Okay, so where was I?  Oh, right.  In 2012, come hell or high water, I'm'a gonna finish my dissertation.  I used to (mostly jokingly) blame my friend Hillary for the delays, since she had (also mostly jokingly) threatened me with the wrath of doom if I finished mine before she finished hers.  Fact is, I got mired down in what wouldn't work and didn't realize there was a fairly simple solution out there.  Ain't it funny how that happens?  Granted, funny isn't the right word in this case; more appropriate is stupid-expensive, but funny works regardless.  Anyway, I sent out a message to some friends asking for help, and one of them sent back exactly the term I needed to look up to get the study rolling again.  It's been approved, and I'm collecting data as I speak--um, type. Besides, Hillary graduated this past fall, so I'm somewhat out of excuses now.  Time to diss, man! 

In 2012, come hell or high water, I'm'a also gonna publish more novels.  The Crystal and Matt story has a couple of more novels already planned in it, and it's such a solid world that there's plenty of story remaining there.  It's kind of like Darkover; once you build a world that's interesting enough, the stories can just keep coming. 

But I also have a great idea that I'm currently plotting and building the family lineage and back story for.  I'll not say much yet, except that I'm excited about it.  Elves!  I like elves, but don't expect this to be the standard "they live forever in trees, have long ears, and disdain contact with man" story.  There's enough of those that it bores me, and a bored author makes for a mega-boring story.  But anyway, yeah, it's about elves, as well as one strong Southern girl with a temper and a prophecy. 

So--multiple projects at once should surprise no one.  I'm well into the writing of Book 3 of Return of the Gods, and hope to have that done by early February.  It's called Atlantis, which gives a clue as to where it's set, and involves two rather unlikely characters working together (you've all read standard mythology, yes?  I kinda twist it a bit, if you haven't noticed already) to save all of mankind and nagakind as well.  In, like, 80,000 words or less.

In 2012, come hell or high water, I'm, or rather we're, gonna get out of this apartment.  After I sold my house in Wasilla back in 2006, I rented because I was watching the bottom drop out of the market and wanted no part of the droppings.  I rented when I moved to Mississippi, and again to Virginia, because I refuse to buy a home without first learning something about the area the home is in.  I've now rented for two years here because--well, because I promised that we would, because Heide and Jessa are dang-nabbit tired of living out of boxes, and I don't blame them.  We picked a nice apartment, really; it's expensive, but there's very little neighbor interaction other than what we choose, and there's plenty of parking, and other than the itty-bitty kitchen it's a spacious place.  That, and daddy doesn't have to mow any damn grass.  But it's time. 

How's that for some lofty goals?

-TOSK