Man, what a year 2017 was. Talk about a mix of the good and bad (or the wonderful and the dreadful): while my personal and family life featured a number of highlights, the national political scene swung into something so bad it’s become a parody of itself–which in no way mitigates the harm it’s doing and has done. In the past, I’ve tried to use social media as a way to keep in touch with friends and family and to share news relevant to my writing life; this year, however, I found myself speaking out more than I ever have about socio-political conditions in the country. I expect that will continue in 2018. Oh, and the whole finding-out-I’m-diabetic thing was less than a thrill.
Yet there were good things this past year, and I don’t want to overlook them. My wife is the joy of my life, as are my sons and grandchildren. We took a ridiculous fifth dog into our household. I had the pleasure of being room-Dad for David’s AC/DC rehearsals at The Rock Academy, and then watching him and his fellow cast members dazzle their audiences. I continued to study Tang Soo Do, and went a good part of the way towards learning the new forms necessary for me to advance to my next rank. I also taught a good deal at the school’s Saugerties studio, which I found both rewarding and challenging. As the year came to an end, I was reminded how much I love my friends Laird Barron and Paul Tremblay–seriously, these guys are the best. I attended my first Necon with Laird and had one of the best conventions I’ve ever had. The Fisherman won an astonishing two awards, a Bram Stoker Award and a This is Horror award. House of Windows was re-released in a snazzy new edition by Diversion Press. I wrote and had accepted for publication a number of stories, and am on the verge on completing my egregiously overdue third collection, Sefira and Other Betrayals. I finally read Peter Straub’s brilliant The Skylark (not to mention, his astonishing novella, The Process [is a Process of its Own]). David and I saw a lot of the movies you’d expect (Wonder Woman, Justice League, Spider-man, Star Wars) and went to a number of the Rock Academy’s other shows (including their fabulous punk and metal shows).
As the New Year wheels forward, I’m back writing, because that’s what I do. I hope the months to come bring you and yours something good.
Here’s a picture of a happy dog, because why not?