Sandhills, heading south for the winter--very, very late. We usually see them in October, sometimes in November, never in December. But it's been warm up north (the North Pole could be as warm as we are here in Texas!), which may have delayed the annual migration of this large flock. We rushed outside and watched, open-mouthed and listening to their wild, warbling calls as they flew overhead.
Book Report. This New Year's Day is a good day to let you know what's on the writing desk for 2016. I'll be working on another China Bayles mystery (#26--no title yet, still waiting for inspiration), and a historical/biographical novel about Eisenhower, Kay Summersby, and Mamie. The Ike/Kay/Mamie novel is already a work-in-progress, with three chapters fairly complete--aiming to finish by September. I'll work on China's mystery late in the year (it has a due date of March 2017). I'm looking forward to both of these projects with a huge enthusiasm and excitement. (Picture me doing a little happy dance here.)
There will also be two new books in the bookstores and online: Loving Eleanor on February 1 and the new China Bayles mystery, Blood Orange, on April 5.
Homestead Report. We're all buttoned up for the winter here, grateful to have missed the destructive storms that have been battering our friends to the north. In the evenings, we're treated to sights of deer, coyotes, foxes, and wild pigs and to the courting calls of the great horned owl that lives in our woods.
We can't know what's ahead, but I love the serenity of each day--especially because I have good work to do and good friends, like you. Thank you for your friendship, and best wishes for a bright and fruitful new year.
Reading note. I hope that in this year to come, you make mistakes. Because if you are making mistakes, then you are making new things, trying new things, learning, living, pushing yourself, changing yourself, changing your world. You're doing things you've never done before, and more importantly, you're Doing Something. So that's my wish for you, and all of us, and my wish for myself. Make New Mistakes. Make glorious, amazing mistakes. Make mistakes nobody's ever made before. Don't freeze, don't stop, don't worry that it isn't good enough, or it isn't perfect, whatever it is: art, or love, or work or family or life. Whatever it is you're scared of doing, Do it. Make your mistakes, next year and forever. ― Neil Gaiman