December News:

Well, lets start with November news, which was wet (the wettest month, ever, on record in the Seattle area), and ended with snowstorms. Here, one of our two backyard gargoyles looks almost as happy about staying home as we were about driving on icy roads.

So on to December. We love the holiday season. The house is full of Christmas music and we’re shopping and wrapping and planning and lighting and singing.

And yet we’re spending some of our evenings planning the summer already (family reunion, family wedding, other trips), while wrapping Christmas gifts. It feels very odd.

I feel like I have a gift, though, in the November elections. At least temporarily we have a balance of power again, and a chance for good conversation.

Working on my fourth novel. I had a goal of 30,000 words in November, and made it. I’m on target to make 30,000 in December, so far. The holidays will make that challenging.

I wish the very best holiday season to anyone who stops by to read this. And speaking of reading, here are my

December Reading Recommendations:

Throne of Jade, by Naomi Novick

The sequel to a book I recommended last month. I’m on the third one now, and this series is so good I’m using it as a carrot – if I write 1,000 words on my book, then I can sit down and read Naomi’s work.

Labrynth, by Kate Mosse.

I didn’t really read this – I listened to it on tape. There were points where I sat and turned my car off, leaving the keys in the ignition, and just sat outside my house for fifteen minutes before I could bear to turn it off. Really. It was read by Donata Peters, who had a fabulous way of making the characters come alive. Be warned! This is a LONG book, whether you read it or listen to it. Worth the time, though.